Keys Weekly wanted to honor a few of the folks in the Florida Keys who give more than they receive, not only during the holidays, but throughout the year. This year, the Key West Weekly honors Roxanne Posada and Billy Davis for their unwavering commitment to the kids of this community.
Roxanne Posada, Kids Come First
Roxanne Posada makes magic happen.
As head of the nonprofit Kids Come First, Posada’s goal is to make Christmas magical for every kid in the Keys. “I’m all about making sure the littlest kids we serve have no idea their gifts came from a generous person in the community,” she said. “They come from Santa and that’s all there is to it.”
Throughout the year, Kids Come First provides new clothes, shoes, school supplies, even prom dresses and class rings for students whose families can’t afford the essentials, much less any extras.
But come Christmastime, Posada moves mountains to make the magic happen. She’s in touch with every school in Monroe County, getting referrals from teachers and counselors who know which kids don’t bother to write a wish list or letter to Santa.
“We give the schools referral sheets and we get an adult to fill it out with the younger kids. Every kid in need gets to fill out a wish list for three or more items,” she said. “Then I have sponsors within this amazingly generous community who get the kids what they want – without taking any credit.”
The credit all goes to the big man in the red suit. (But Posada and her holiday helpers deserve some, too.) To donate or volunteer, text Roxanne Posada at 305-360-1689.
Billy Davis, Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative
Fatherhood shouldn’t be optional, because childhood isn’t, and every kid deserves the benefits and support only a father can provide. But too many kids in Monroe County have grown up with no father figure, and plenty of them end up fathering children while still kids themselves.
In Monroe County, between 2010 and 2015, more than 500 young men, aged 16 to 24, became fathers. Also in Monroe County, 34% of kids are growing up in a single-parent household, compared to 31% in the rest of Florida.
Enter Billy Davis, who last year launched the Southernmost Fatherhood Initiative throughout the Florida Keys. Davis is working to turn absent fathers into involved dads who show up at baseball practices and demonstrate for their daughters the respect they deserve from a man.
The initiative is free to all participants and meets once a week for 12 weeks.
“We’re available to help any dads, from new fathers who are nervous around their new babies, to dads who weren’t around when their kids were babies,” Davis said.
He provides grocery gift cards to the fathers who show up and stay for a few consecutive sessions.
“And it’s encouraging to watch them spend that gift card on their kids and their kids’ mothers,” Davis said. “It really empowers them to be able to take care of the family they created.”
Davis also offers the Fatherhood Initiative in Monroe County jails, where fathers often feel the most helpless. “We caution those fathers not to expect too much too soon from their kids who may start out resenting them for being absent in the beginning. But we try to let them know it’s never too late,” Davis said.
For more information, contact Billy Davis at 305-304-1969 or apsmccrp@aol.com.
