200 Bikes and 700 Toys distributed to children in the community and orphans in Haiti

(Black PR Wire) - The four Chef Creole restaurants and Little Haiti Optimist Club Community Center served as drop off locations for the 8th annual Little Haiti Optimist Club & Chef Creole Toy Drive.  The toys collected were distributed to kids in the community on Saturday, December 16th from 2:00PM until 5:00PM at the 8th annual Toy Giveaway Holiday Celebration event at the Chef Creole Restaurant located at 200 NW 54th Street in Miami. In addition, some of the toys collected were distributed to orphans and children living in Haiti.

The entire community was invited to participate in the festivities which included:  live entertainment produced by My Kids Got Talent, DJ music by Midtown Studios, food, drinks, bounce houses, clown, face painting, pictures with Santa, games and other fun activities for the entire family.  Back by popular demand were performances by kids for kids featuring: Hip Hop Kidz and Holy Cross School Gifted Hands. The highlight of the evening was the distribution of 200 bikes and 700 hundred toys to the children in the area.

“This year, our goal was to distribute 100 bikes to kids in the area. We are excited to announce we surpassed our goal and distributed 200 bikes and 700 toys. Many children in our community as well as orphans in Haiti do not have the simple joy of owning toys or receiving gifts for Christmas.  This Holiday Toy Drive is our way of assuring that this Christmas will be different for the children of Little Haiti and the orphaned children we are able to touch in Haiti”, says City of Miami District 5 Commissioner Keon Hardemon who assisted in donating toys for this effort.

The 8th annual Little Haiti Optimist Club & Chef Creole Toy Drive and Holiday Celebration is made possible because of the commitment to our community by our partners: City of Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon, Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council, Midtown Studios & Film, Miami Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime, Gateway Airport Concessions, Eastside Ridge, Chefs of the Caribbean, State Representative Roy Hardemon, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity-Miami Alumni Chapter and MLK Restaurant.

ABOUT LITTLE HAITI OPTIMIST CLUB

The Little Haiti Optimist Club (LHOC) is a non-profit organization established by a group of business, community and civic leaders to provide assistance and guidance to the youth of Little Haiti.  The organization is affiliated with Optimist International, an association of more than 3,000 Optimist Clubs around the world dedicated to “Bringing out the Best in Kids”.  The mission of the Little Haiti Optimist Club is to make a difference in the lives of youth by providing education, mentorship, athletics, arts and cultural programming.  Our goal is to be the premier organization providing programs to prepare the youth of Little Haiti for academic and life excellence.

Little Haiti Optimist Club activities and programs empower and give young people a helping hand and hope.  Some of the programs and activities include:  Little Haiti Optimist Club Community Tech & Youth Center; Book Bag & School Supplies Giveaway; Road Map to Success Program; Mentorship Program; LHOC Career Day; REEL Opportunities Film Program; Fashion 101; Little Haiti Keeping It Clean & Green; Little Haiti Health & Fitness Fair; LHOC Reads; Turkey Giveaway; Toy Drive & Giveaway and athletics programs consisting of:  soccer, football, wrestling, basketball and track & field.  For more information on LHOC, visit facebook.com/Little-Haiti-Optimist-Club or www.littlehaitioptimist.org.

ABOUT CHEF CREOLE SEAFOOD & CATERING:  Chef Wilkinson Sejour opened his first restaurant, Chef Creole Seafood Restaurant, with his late brother Jude over 20 years ago.  He now has five successful restaurants in the City of Miami, North Miami and Miami Gardens.  His authentic Creole hospitality has earned Chef Creole the title “Master of Hospitality”.  Chef Creole’s client list reads like a who’s who in the entertainment industry.  He has created signature dishes for Jay Z, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Wyclef, Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Neville & The Neville Brothers, Trick Daddy, The Hot Boys, Earl Klugh, Michael Wolff & Impure Thoughts, Neal Strotz, Oleta Adams, David Sanborn, Poncho Sanchez and Roberto Pererra, just to name a few.  In addition, Chef Creole has catered food for festivals, television, videos and film projects.

Chef Creole’s restaurants, cuisine and culinary talents have been featured and recognized in many national, local publications and television, including:  48 Hours-TV, NBC6-TV, Gourmet Magazine, Vibe Magazine, Source Magazine, Miami Herald and Miami Times Newspapers.  His North Miami restaurant has been ranked #1 by the Miami New Times as “Best Seafood Restaurant”.  For more information, visit www.chefcreole.com.

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