New Announcement
The Board of Directors of Casa Familia, Inc. hosted a Zoom board meeting with board members including Marie-Ilene Whitehurst, Dave Lawrence, Dr. Michael Alessandri, Mike Moran, Chairman Marc Plonskier, President Karin Jawitz, Adam Petrillo, Natasha Lowell, Ambassador Oscar de Rojas, Nestor Plana, Lourdes Sanchez, Erbi Blanco-True, Kathy Feldman, Maria Perez, Vinita Tandon, and Nick Inamdar in attendance for this meeting. The Board established a Founders Society to recognize leadership-level donors for the Village of Casa Failia, the first affordable housing community for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in Miami-Dade County. “The Founders Society represents a unique opportunity to become par of the most important new initiative for special needs in Miami-Dade county,” said Marc Plonskier, chair of Casa Familia, Inc. “Casa Familia has embarked on this historic new direction to create a sustainable, long-term housing ooption for individuals with IDD.”
Casa Familia, Inc. was established in 2015 by a group of concerned parents out of fear for the uncertain futures of their adult children with IDD. The Village of Casa Familia will break ground on nine acres in Kendall early in 2021 thanks to a generous ground lease by Miami-Dade County, Department of Community Action and Human Services. “I cannot think of a more important initiative in our community in recent years on behalf of those with special needs,” said David Lawrence Jr., chair of The Children’s Movement of Florida, founding chair of the Children’s Trust, and the retired publisher of the Miami Herald. “What a treasure with will be.” “This model will become a ‘gold standard’ community that can be easily adapted throughout the County and the State of Florida,” said Plonskier. “By investing in the Village of Casa Familia, Founders are establishing a safe, supportive, enriched environment that promotes residential stability, self-determination, participation, and independence.”