Chris Nurse knows first hand the feeling of melancholia following the death of a loved one. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers soccer star lost his mother to breast cancer and her death sent him into a tailspin of despair. “It was so hard,” he said. But his mother’s death was the impetus for him to reach his dream of becoming a professional soccer player and the face of his organization to raise awareness of a disease that...

  Miami-Dade Commissioner Esteban Bovo Jr. was unanimously elected vice chairman of the County Commission last week after Commissioner Jean Monestine was chosen as chairman of the 13-member board. During a ceremony at County Hall, elected officials welcomed new Commissioner Daniella Levin Cava of District 8, who defeated then-incumbent Lynda Bell in the August primary election. Monestine and Bovo replace outgoing chairwoman Rebecca...

  Miami Lakes United Methodist Church launched the first Winterfest in 2013 as a follow up to the popular Pumpkin Patch and proudly announced its return this winter. From now through December 24, Winterfest will feature free daily admission, Christmas Tree sales, and scheduled activities throughout the holiday season. The church invites all members of the community to stroll through the wonderland full of lights and seasonal characters....

  JetStream Federal Credit Union announced the promotion of Maria Morales to assistant vice president of Collections. Morales has been part of the JetStream team for 17 years, and spent the last nine years as Collections manager. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Management from Miami Dade College. For the past five years, JetStream’s loan growth has more than tripled and Morales and her team have been able to keep the...

  A Social Work intern at The National Multiple Sclerosis Society of South Florida and Miami Lakes resident, Karla Gonzalez-Rubio, said it started with a dream. “It started with a dream and an orange scarf. An orange scarf to symbolize Multiple Sclerosis awareness and a dream that this could be a world where no one with a chronic illness should have to ever feel alone,” said Gonzalez-Rubio. Gonzalez-Rubio started MS Matched,...