HEAT Academy

Through its flagship community affairs initiative, HEAT Academy, the Miami HEAT has embraced the importance of providing children in South Florida with the opportunity to have a quality after-school program with an academic purpose at its core.  The HEAT Academy is fully funded by the Miami HEAT and its corporate partners, Carnival Cruise Lines and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.  The funding for the program accounts for teacher wages, materials & supplies, daily snacks and any special activities planned throughout the course of the year.  The HEAT Academy’s major goal is to provide economically disadvantaged students who are most at risk of academic failure or juvenile delinquency with a program of after-school tutoring and academic enrichment.  The program is dedicated to strengthening the students’ reading, writing, math and science skills so that they are able to increase their potential for success on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) exam and compete on a national level.   

Through a collaborative partnership with Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the HEAT Group corporate partners, the Miami HEAT has teamed up to facilitate HEAT Academy at three local inner city schools:

• Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary (Overtown)
• Little River Elementary (Little Haiti)
• Riverside Elementary (Little Havana)

At HEAT Academy students practice reading, writing, math and science, receive assistance with homework, have a safe place to learn after school when their parents are usually not available, and most importantly,  learn from positive role models who inspire our students to excel.

The HEAT Academy operates the majority of the school year-round every day of the week, Monday through Friday from 3:30 pm – 5:30 p.m.  The HEAT Academy provides educational support to a total of 300 students across the three Elementary schools from the 3rd to the 5th Grade.  Although the program is free for students enrolled, students are required to meet certain attendance goals and abide by a strict code of conduct if they are to remain eligible. 

HEAT Scholarships

The Miami HEAT is offering $10,000.00 in scholarship funds to high school seniors attending Miami-Dade,   Broward or Palm Beach schools. Scholarship applications are available each school year and recipients are awarded in May. This year’s application deadline is April 4th, 2009. This will be the thirteenth year that the Miami HEAT has offered scholarships. Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance and outstanding community service. Scholarships include the following:

• Two (2) $2,500.00 HEAT Scholarships
• One (1) $2,500.00 Dr. Jack Ramsay Scholarship (for students pursuing a career in broadcast journalism)
• One (1) $2,500.00 Alec Kessler Student-Athlete Scholarship
• Download or Print: Application
  
  Read To Achieve
  The Miami HEAT promotes the value of reading and encourages children and families to read regularly through the Read to Achieve program. Derived from the National Basketball Association, the Miami HEAT's local Read to Achieve program incorporates a combination of special monthly reading "time-outs", book giveaways, and the creation of designated reading locations - most recently in March, 2007 was the creation of a HEAT Reading and Learning Center at one of our three HEAT Academy locations, Riverside Elementary.
  Program Duration: Year-round.
  
  Miami HEAT FUN-raiser
  (Available for Grades K-12)
  The Miami HEAT realizes that fundraising is necessary for schools to keep programs properly funded. To help your school, we have created an opportunity for faculty, students and their families to enjoy the experience of a Miami HEAT game - LIVE, while simultaneously helping the school to meet its goals. In a fun and exciting alternative to a raffle or chocolate sell-off, etc., schools have the opportunity to receive money for every Miami HEAT ticket the school is able to sell through the Miami HEAT FUN-raiser program. For additional information on this program, please call 786-777-DUNK.
  Program Duration: School Year
  
  Miami HEAT Learn and Play Centers
  The Miami HEAT along with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, have teamed up to create Learn and Play Centers throughout South Florida. As part of this incredible transformation, the HEAT renovates an existing room into a HEAT-themed area with fresh paint and then supplies it with new computers, furniture, books, audio/video equipment and games for children to enjoy & learn from. The concept behind the Miami HEAT Learn and Play Centers are to provide a safe place where children can spend time reading a book, working on their homework, or just having a good time playing video or board games. To date, the HEAT has established Learn and Play Centers at five sites: Each of our three HEAT Academy schools - Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary, Little River Elementary, and Riverside Elementary - the Community Partnership for Homeless, a Miami based homeless shelter which helps men, women and children transition off the streets of Miami-Dade County and on their way to attaining greater stability and self-sufficiency in their lives, and Bucky Dent Gymnasium in Hialeah.

  To be considered for a Miami HEAT Learn and Play Center, all requests MUST meet the following criteria:
  

• Submitted on Organization Letterhead
• Thorough description of the organization and its mission
• Thorough description of why your site should be considered for renovation
• Location of the site.
  
  Please mail to:
  Miami HEAT
  Community Affairs Department / Learn and Play Center
  601 Biscayne Boulevard
  Miami, FL 33132