Weather Not an Issue for Chief Press Holiday Family Event

Fun for all at the Chief Press Holiday Family Event in Key Biscayne Beach Park (Nancy Beth Jackson / Key News)

Gusting winds and spitting skies may have interfered with outdoor activities around the island over the weekend but couldn’t dampen this year’s Chief Press Holiday Family Event.

Organized by the Chief Press Foundation and Miami Children’s Initiative, the annual celebration brought more than 200 neighbors from Liberty City to the Key Biscayne Beach Park for a Saturday afternoon of food and fun.  

“Canceling the event was never a thought. These kids don’t care that it’s windy. They’re just happy to feel safe,” said Key Biscayne Police Chief Charles Press.

As the DJ played a classic version of Baby It’s Cold Outside, children raced around an interactive circuit of footballs, colorful cones, ring tosses and hopper balls. Families lined up for a holiday buffet of roast chicken, potato salad, corn, baked beans and chocolate chip cookies, and the music segued into the more up-tempo MIA by Bad Bunny. Closer to the beach and away from the crowd, several of the older boys stood on top of the park wall looking out over the choppy ocean. 

 “We are just so thankful,” said Angel Johnson, Community Manager of the Miami Children’s Initiative, after the event. “Just being over there and not having to wonder if they are going to eat, if they are going to hear a gunshot or police sirens. It’s a day for the children to just have a sense of safety.”

 Chief Press and the Key Biscayne Police Department started working with Liberty City 15 years ago to improve the relationship between children and police officers in the community, where flying bullets are more of a real threat than 25-mile-an-hour winds. His efforts have grown into the Sister City Initiative, a year-round program with partner organizations from pop-up farmers markets and sports camps to the popular Christmas in July. All are dedicated to improving the outcomes of children and families from Liberty City and growing a bridge between the two communities. 

 After the park, the party moved on to the shelter of the police station to take Polaroid pictures with Santa Claus and open presents donated by the police department. And by 4 pm, the Liberty City families headed back over the causeway on five yellow school buses with baby dolls, basketballs, remote control cars, gift cards and candy in hand.

 “The children were so excited. Some began to play with the toys on the way home, and there was non-stop talk about how they enjoyed everything from the fun games to the food to the toys,” Johnson said.