The Children’s Trust Family Expo 2018

By Maria Angeles Linares

Last month, the Eligibility and Waiting List teams manned the Agency for Persons with Disabilities table at the annual Children’s Trust Family Expo in Miami. The event featured activities and entertainment for the entire family with the specific goal of providing parents with direct contact to health and social services, as well as educational opportunities.

The event was extremely well attended, with 15,000 attendees filling 128,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor exposition space. Regional Program Supervisor for the Waiting List Cary Dashiff, Eligibility & QSI Supervisor Rebeca Garcia-Sotelo, and Waiting List Case worker Yanisell Morales manned the table, answered questions, and educated families about what APD has to offer.

APD was in very good company. The University of Miami Pediatric Mobile Unit was there to administer medical screenings to the kids, and Jackson Health Systems sponsored a teddy bear clinic where kids could use bandages and bear hugs to make their plush pals all better. Baptist Health South Florida, the Miami Herald, and Miami-Dade County Public Schools were just a few of the distinguished participants of the Expo.

It was a carnival atmosphere with stilt walkers, Zumba classes, fencing and robotics demonstrations, storybook characters, face painters, and balloon artists. A fun time was had by all, and the APD team made many contacts and new friends. 


Regional Program Supervisor for the Waiting List Cary Dashiff, Eligibility & QSI Supervisor Rebeca Garcia-Sotelo, and Waiting List Case worker Yanisell Morales represented APD at the Expo.