Bal Harbour

BAL HARBOUR 45 BALHARBOURSHOPS.COM P H OTO G R A P H Y: CO U R T E S Y O F M I A M I WAT E R K E E P E R ( D R . R AC H E L S I LV E R S T E I N ) Miami Waterkeeper Executive Director Dr. Rachel Silverstein " TODAY THERE'S A 98-PERCENT SURVIVAL RATE IN OUR NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT. WHEN WE BEGAN, IT WAS ONLY 2 PERCENT. —Schatzi Kassal " MIAMI WATERKEEPER HOW IT BEGAN Miami Waterkeeper uses a multidisciplinary approach to protect- ing South Florida's waters, including science, advocacy, and com- munit y educat ion ef for t s. Focusing on clean water, ecosystem protection, and sea level rise resiliency, the nonprofit has made a meaning ful impact. "I have found this work to be extraordinarily empowering and rewarding, and it has truly shown me what kind of impact one person or a small g roup of dedicated people can truly have on some really big issues," says Executive Director Dr. Rachel Silverstein. RISING TIDE With such ecosystem diversity in South Florida, it can be di€cult to focus on just one issue or aƒected area. But, says Silverstein, "Sea level rise is really one of the most dire issues that we're dealing with right now, because it 's aƒecting infrastructure and the way our community functions in almost every aspect." ACTION POINTS Follow Miami Waterkeeper's social media for frequent updates and action alerts for information on how to participate. "People can re- por t pollution that you might see [while] going about your daily life," Silverstein shares. "We have a program called A Thousand Eyes on the Water, which teaches people to observe, document, and report pollution. It teaches you to know when something's okay, and when it's not okay, on the water." GREENER SOLUTIONS Miami Waterkeeper takes a holistic approach to instigate change. In 2021, the organization successfully blocked implementation of harmful infra str uct ure —an obtr usive 30-foot concrete wa ll to combat sea level rise —and proposed a healthier solution. "Now we're moving toward a more green solution and something that works with nature to make us more resilient . For example, coral reefs reduce 95% of wave energ y so if we can build up our coral reefs instead of building a giant wall, that benefits the community by providing tourism opportunities, fisheries protecting species…. there are these solutions that are out there that we get multiple benefits from and that that's what we're really looking for." For more ways to get involved, follow @miamiwaterkeeper and visit miamiwaterkeeper.org. PROJECT: NEW BORN HOW IT BEGAN Schatzi Kassal, the nonagenarian founder of Project: New Born, is unwavering in her commitment to the organization she established 50 years ago, which is devoted to the care and support of imperiled premature and high-risk infants at the Holtz Children's Hospital at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Medical Center. After her youngest baby, born in 1973, required surgery due to developmental complications, Kassal experienced firsthand the abilities and limits of pediatric and neonatal intensive care at the time. "There was just a tiny room with seven neonatal beds. They rigged adult ventilators because there weren't any for babies yet," she recalls. "But, they were trying." At the helm was Marc Rowe, an impassioned surgeon who over- saw the neonatal ward, and who would often sleep in a cot next to the incubators, Kassal recalls. Dr. Rowe was actively seeking fund- raising to support the capacity for care, and found in Kassal a like minded soul. SEVEN BABES AND THREE STANLEYS Kassal reached out to six of her closest friends—the Babes, as they were k now n—and together these women set out to establish Project: New Born with a fundraising event. "Neiman Marcus had just opened at Bal Harbour Shops, and I thought we could invite Stanley Marcus to come and present his new book "Minding the Store" at a luncheon for around 50 women," Kassal recalls. "He did—and also insisted that we hold the event in the middle of the Women's Couture department, and have a fashion show." That was the f irst of what became an annual event , which, according to Kassal, "is how the foundation really grew. It was a marquee event of the season." Bal Harbour Shops founder Stanley Whitman contin- ued to support the foundation, underwriting the luncheons for sev- eral decades. "And the third Stanley was my husband, who always supported our eƒorts." THE INFANTRY Kassal, 92, still works. She's a mental health counselor. "I still have a fire burning inside of me... I drag my body around with it because I have to keep moving." But despite her continued eƒorts, Kassal recog nizes the need to activate " the infantr y," referring to the younger generation, the ones who can carry this legacy to its next milestone. "Today there's a 98-percent survival rate in our unit," she explains, referring to the Jackson Memorial Hospital Schatzi and Stanley Kassal Project: New Born Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. "When we began, it was only 2 percent." To donate or learn more about Project: New Born, visit development.miami.edu/ page.aspx?pid=441 and select "The Project: New Born Research Fund"

• Cover