A $35 Birthday Box Can Help a South Dade Child Celebrate

📅 Homestead Area Events

🎁 Birthday boxes help South Dade children celebrate

🌀 Isaias strengthened, but South Dade stays outside warnings

🍮 Two Homestead siblings are building a dessert business

🎭 Seminole Theatre enters a new operating chapter

🎀 A free awareness walk starts Saturday morning

💼 A Homestead leadership job lists up to $189,452

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October 9

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South Dade can keep its local plans calm while watching a serious storm elsewhere in Florida. Hurricane Isaias reached Category 2 strength late Thursday with maximum sustained winds near 105 mph and was moving northeast across the Gulf toward the western Panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi. The latest warning area did not include Homestead, Florida City or the rest of South Dade, but relatives, deliveries and Friday travel toward the northern Gulf Coast may be affected. Check the live National Hurricane Center advisory before any northbound trip, and do not use yesterday’s saved forecast cone.

Read More: National Hurricane Center advisory

A child’s birthday can still feel special when a family’s budget is stretched thin. South Miami-Dade nonprofit Birthday Boxes for Good assembles celebration kits with baking supplies, decorations and a gift for children and teenagers facing financial hardship. Local 10 reported that each box costs about $35, and the organization says it has served about 75 children through boxes, events, donations and community partnerships. Families do not request a box directly; an approved school, shelter, church, case manager or other partner organization submits the referral. That protects family privacy while helping the nonprofit verify needs. Residents can help by donating new toys, gift cards, wrapping supplies or money, and students can ask about volunteer-hour opportunities with the Celebration Crew. Businesses and community groups can also apply to become referral or donation partners. Visit the organization’s site before giving or requesting help so you follow the current partner process.

Read More: Donate, volunteer or request help

Two Homestead siblings are learning business by putting a healthier spin on dessert. Aaden, 14, and Addi, 12, sell protein puddings and sweet treats from Juice Café in Oasis Plaza. Their mousse-like options combine fruit, granola, nuts, miniature cakes or bubble waffles, with both protein-based and traditional choices. Flavors reported by the South Dade News Leader include Chocolate Avocado, Banana Tres Leches and Chunky Monkey. The idea gives readers a locally made alternative when the usual chain dessert feels predictable. It also gives the siblings hands-on experience with product development, customer service and money management. Stop in only after confirming current café hours and availability because a young business may change its menu quickly. Supporting the counter helps two local founders test whether their South Dade idea can grow beyond Homestead.

📍 Location: Juice Café, Oasis Plaza, 2834 NE 8th St, Homestead

Read More: Meet the young founders and see the reported menu

Downtown Homestead’s main performing-arts venue is entering a new operating chapter. The City Council approved Pinnacle Venue Services to manage and operate the Seminole Theatre under a revised agreement. The first-year package totals $178,333.33, including management, operating, capital-improvement and incentive allocations. For audiences, the number to watch is not the contract total but whether programming, maintenance and the booking experience improve. A stable operator can help the theater attract touring acts, support local performers and keep more evening spending downtown. Residents should watch the theater’s official calendar for schedule changes rather than treating the agreement itself as a show announcement. Artists and organizations interested in the venue should use the theater’s official contact channel and confirm booking policies.

Experienced planners have a high-level local opening worth a careful read. The City of Homestead lists a full-time Director of Planning and Zoning position at $145,732 to $189,452 a year, with responsibility for development review, land-use policy, public engagement and department leadership. The continuous posting asks for a related bachelor’s degree, extensive planning or growth-management experience and at least five years in supervision or management; a master’s degree and AICP credential are preferred. Qualified applicants should match their resume to the leadership, Florida land-use and fiscal-management requirements before applying.

Read More: Director of Planning and Zoning posting

Experienced utility workers have a local lead worth opening. The City of Homestead lists an Operations Lead position at $93,662.40 to $98,342.40 a year for technical and supervisory work at its diesel electrical generating plant. That is a comparatively high-paying South Dade role tied to the infrastructure local households depend on. The continuous posting gives qualified workers an opportunity to prepare a careful application instead of chasing a one-day deadline. Evenings, weekends, holidays and overtime may be part of the schedule, so read the full requirements before deciding it fits. Match your resume to the required plant and leadership experience, then apply through the city’s portal.

🌐 Website: Operations Lead posting