THE TACOLCY PRESS ISSUE 8

the

TACOLCY PRESS 6161 NW 9th Ave, Miami, FL 33127

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TACOLCY’S OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER ISSUE 8 MAY 2025

Stephanie Sylvestre

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TACOLCY PRESS WHAT’S THE ISSUE Avatar Buddy Stephanie S. Easter 2025 OOS Arts & Crafts Decision Day + Club TACOLCY

A NOTE FROM OUR EDITOR

Internship Opportunities

Welcome to the eighth issue of our newsletter!

Food Drive Co-Op

Spring is in full swing, and so is the energy here at Club

Upcoming Events

TACOLCY! In this issue, we’re celebrating our seniors on Decision Day, diving into an Avatar Buddy interview with the always-inspiring Stephanie Sylvestre, and recapping the intense battle of this month’s Coin War. Plus, we’re sharing exciting internship opportunities at BTC and so much more.

There’s a lot to catch up on—let’s jump in!

Aaliyah Fisher Editor in Chief

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THE TACOLCY PRESS

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A DIGITAL REVOLUTION, ROOTED IN COMMUNITY: LIBERTY CITY AND AI

I

ft. Stephanie Sylvestre n the rapidly evolving world of artificial

intelligence,

few

voices

blend

innovation

with

community insight as powerfully as Stephanie Sylvestre, co-founder of Avatar Buddy—an app that creates AI “buddies” and digital twins designed to help people excel. But her journey, rooted in realworld experience and deep community awareness, is what makes her story one worth telling.

Originally from Belize, Stephanie moved to Miami in 1993 for graduate school. One of her earliest impressions of Miami? “I was shocked—gagged, really—that you could find Caribbean produce in the regular grocery stores. They had plantains, yuca, and a bunch of other things we eat in Belize right alongside the apples and pears.”

Her professional journey took her through a range of impactful roles, including a stint as Chief Programs Officer and CIO at the Children’s Trust. But it was her time at TACOLCY that marked a pivotal turn.

“I met Alison Austin in 2008 when I was kind of wanting something more from my life. I took a sabbatical, and Alison convinced me to hang out and work at TACOLCY. For nine months, I was

Liberty City are perceived and supported. “People say Liberty City is low resource, and I don’t know that I fully agree with that.

I think there are lots of resources in the community—they’re just not always efficiently deployed.”

She compares her own neighborhood, Coconut Grove, where within a 10-minute drive you can find multiple fresh food supermarkets, to Liberty City, which has just one Winn-Dixie and two Presidente stores. “It’s essentially a food desert.”

helping her run it. It was a very, very interesting experience.”

It was during this period and later at the Children’s Trust that Stephanie began noticing gaps—not just in service delivery, but in how communities like

This inequity in infrastructure, along with a lifelong curiosity and drive for solutions, eventually led her to AI. Story continued on Page 5

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https://tacolcy.harnessgiving.org/campaigns/16059

THE TACOLCY PRESS

Issue 1

From A DIGITAL REVOLUTION Cont’d In 2022, Stephanie took another bold leap— leaving her job, heading to Harvard, and eventually launching Avatar Buddy in 2023.

“We were trying to figure out how to ‘solve poverty’—and my friend said something I misunderstood. I thought she said we should create an additional human to help people.

That sparked the idea of the AI buddy. I’d been studying how just one loving adult in someone’s life can change everything. What if AI could fill in that gap?”

But she’s also clear about the risks of this powerful technology.

“This

is

what

happens

when

you

take

something really powerful and don’t put guardrails on it. Bad things happen.” She shared

stories

of

teens

in

Orlando

She draws an insightful parallel: “AI is like a very,

very

smart

13-year-old.

It’s

consistent, but still unpredictable. You

who

don’t always know what it’s going to do

manipulated their AI agents in dark directions,

or why. Just like a teen trying to figure

ultimately leading to tragedy. Her message is

itself out.”

one of caution: be mindful of how and who is building these tools.

For those hesitant to dive into AI, Stephanie suggests simply trying it. “Go to ChatGPT.

Still, Stephanie believes AI has the potential to

It’s free. Ask it to write a social media post

level

for

or a gratitude note to a few people. See

communities that have historically been left

its dexterity. Most people who say AI is

behind. Places like Liberty City, whose poverty

scary aren’t even using it.”

the

playing

field—especially

rate more than doubles that of Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida.

Ultimately, Stephanie’s hope is that Liberty

“You have to be resilient and creative to live

themselves for their strengths, resilient and

in Liberty City. Those are the same muscles you need to work effectively with AI.”

City—and communities like it—begin to see resourceful, as it makes them uniquely equipped

to

tackle

the

fast-changing

innovations of the world.

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DECISION DAY 2025 - MIAMI CENTRAL HIGH

Seniors Samuel Saintil, Joseph Veargis, Uel Beauliere and Mila Boyd receive care packages from Club TACOLCY.

TO THE CLASS OF 2025 Today, we proudly celebrated our incredible seniors during Decision Day — a moment to recognize their hard work, resilience, and exciting next steps after high school.

Each senior that are members of Club TACOLCY also received a care package filled with college essentials to help them start their next chapter strong, on behalf of the Belafonte TACOLCY Center.

8th graders from B. Wright Leadership Academy attend Decision Day.

DECISION DAY AT CLUB TACOLCY APRIL 2025

Whether they’re heading to college, enlisting in the military, or pursuing technical training, we cheered them on as they prepare for the road ahead. We’re so proud of the Class of 2025! Wishing you all the best!

THANK YOU TO ALL THE SCHOOLS THAT CAME OUT!

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Easter AT TACOLCY APRIL 18, 2025 Last week, we welcomed families from the community for a joyful Easter celebration filled with laughter, games, and plenty of sweet surprises.

From egg hunts to arts and crafts, kids of all ages had a blast—and of course, no Easter event would be complete without a visit from the Easter Bunny!

Thank you to everyone who came out and made it so special — we loved seeing all the smiling faces, big and small! Special shout out to Pastor Greene from Omega Power and Praise Ministry & TuTu Atwell for helping make this possible!

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Easter AT TACOLCY

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1-2-3-4 I DECLARE A

COIN WAR

w/ OOS

COIN BATTLE MASTERS!

This month, our Out-of-School (OOS) kids have been bringing the heat in our epic Coin War competition!

Each group has been strategizing, saving, and stacking coins in hopes of winning the ultimate prize—a pizza party! The friendly rivalry has sparked excitement and teamwork, with students going all in to give their group the edge. With the competition coming down to the wire, everyone’s eager to see who will come out on top (and enjoy those delicious slices)!

URE T U F END G S E L

Coin jars at BTC for staff to participate!

The 1st graders did not come to play!

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LIBERTY CITY FRESH FOOD CO-OP Bringing fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables to Liberty City residents and beyond!

Fresh food co-ops will be held at TACOLCY every third Thursday of every month.* *excluding holidays

MAY 15, 2025

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS!

We are always looking for volunteers to help us with our community events! Ask how you can become a volunteer today!

https://form.jotform.com/TACOLCY/cet

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Social Work

INTERNSHIP What is TACOLCY CARE Fellowship?

The TACOLCY CARE Fellows Program is an unpaid, semester-long fellowship offering immersive, real-world experience in social work.

Fellows support community care and client advocacy, while gaining hands-on skills in benefits access and trauma-informed engagement. The program integrates service with guided reflection to build ethical, systems-aware leaders.

Why Recommend Your Students?

More than an internship—this is a launchpad for culturally responsive, equity-driven changemakers.

Fellows receive: Weekly 1:1 mentorship with an experienced supervisor Monthly professional development seminars (e.g., Motivational Interviewing, Cultural Humility, CANS) Experience in client intake, Medicaid/SNAP navigation, food distribution, and baby wellness programs Capstone Project with opportunities to publish, present, or propose real solutions A branded certificate of completion and letter of recommendation for exemplary service Priority consideration for future job opportunities at TACOLCY or partner agencies The TACOLCY CARE Fellows Program gives students a sense of purpose, real experience, and a path to future careers. Many of our interns go on to work in schools, nonprofits, and health programs.

Program Details: Who? BSW, MSW, and Human Services students When? 12–16 weeks | 10–20 hours/week | Flexible scheduling Where? In-person at the Belafonte TACOLCY Center (Liberty City, Miami) Support: Orientation, supervision, reflection activities, and a culminating presentation

https://forms.gle/FYGZRP68 W3q3hHW87

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SOUTH FLORIDA

RESOURCE COLLECTIVE

X The South Florida Resource Collective is a onestop hub where Miami-Dade residents can easily connect with essential services like Food Stamp ACCESS Sites, parenting programs, afterschool and summer programs, athletics, and more!

Stop by for more details!

6161 NW 9th Avenue Miami, FL 33127 or call 305-751-1295

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THE TACOLCY PRESS

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UPCOMING EVENTS

END OF SUMMER SHOWCASE

Parents and stakeholders are invited to see the youth perform and demonstrate what they learned over the summer months + students in TACOLCY's program will be rewarded for letter grade improvements.

Students will also explore college, career, trade, and military options for their future.

INTERESTED IN BEING A VENDOR, SIGN UP HERE!

Follow us on social media! @tacolcymiami Page Page16 15

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BTC NEWSLETTER AD RATES In our newsletter, ads aren’t just ads--they’re stories. We believe in showcasing brands through narratives that connect and inspire. This approach emphasizes the value of storytelling with the hope that our ad section will be engaging rather than transactional.

Do you want your business featured in our monthly newsletter?

Step 1: Fill out the “Ad Request” Form Complete a form with basic information such as name, contact info, business details, and desired ad size. https://forms.gle/hNznuPgCinoYe44c7

Step 2: Choose Your Advertisement Type -Regular Ad (business will provide their own ad content) -Story-Focused Ad (we will conduct a formal interview, take photos and craft a narrative about your business to better engage readers)

Step 3: Make Payment to Confirm Ad Space Once the form is submitted, businesses will receive a payment form. After payment is completed, their promotional space will be confirmed in your newsletter. https://www.paypal.com/ncp/payment/KB9XD7LKMQE92

The newsletters will be posted to the Belafonte TACOLCY Center, Inc. website, emailed to people on our distribution lists, and available for physical distribution a week or two prior to the first day of the newsletter month.

Press-ready ads must be submitted to info@TACOLCY.org in the proper format by 5:00 PM on the 28th day of the month prior to publication.

MONTHLY RATES FOR AD PLACEMENTS IN THE TACOLCY PRESS NEWSLETTER: Rates for BTC Merchant Members in the Liberty City and Little Haiti Business District Area Ad Rate Prices: Story Ad $200 Full Page $150 Half Page $90 Quarter Page $45

PAYMENT IS REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF SUBMISSION.

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THE TACOLCY PRESS

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TO OUR PARTNERS

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Page 17