At 17, he started a child abuse prevention org. 30 years later, he's being honored
When Amigos For Kids cofounder Jorge Plasencia attended a reception at Seminole Hard Rock Casino last year, he expected to connect with donors and supporters of the nonprofit, which works in child abuse prevention and provides after-school programming and other services. But one interaction brought his child advocacy work full circle.
'A woman came up to me that was an executive with a bank in her late 30s,' Plasencia told the Miami Herald. 'She said that she was a child of Amigos For Kids and went through the programs. She was impacted and was there to pay it forward.'
The woman's story reflects that of the many kids whom Amigos For Kids has helped to maximize their potential. After more than 30 years with the organization, Plasencia, 50, is being honored this year with the Excellence in Advocacy Award from The Children's Trust.
The son of altruistic Cuban immigrants, community service was an expectation in Plasencia's household. As an elementary school student at Miami Beach's St. Patrick's Catholic School, he became involved with a community service club. The experience exposed him to local organizations like the Children's Home Society.
During a holiday event when he was a teen, Plasencia met a baby that had been burned with an iron. Having grown up in a loving home, Plasencia knew he wanted to help people like that baby have a better life.
In 1991, Plasencia, then 17, teamed up with friends that also volunteered at Children's Home Society to start their own organization. They saw the need for a Latin-focused organization and officially launched Amigos Together For Children a year later. The organization was later renamed Amigos for Kids.
When Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992, their services were needed more than ever. 'We had our work cut out for ourselves,' he said.
After volunteering as a phone banker for local nonprofits in high school, Plasencia pursued communications jobs after graduating from Barry University. From stints in radio to work for the Miami Marlins, he has made sure every job he's had was just as invested in Amigos For Kids as they were in him.
'My superiors have always embraced Amigos For Kids,' he said. 'It was never something that I've had to shun. My superiors always have wanted to support me.'
Plasencia's next goal is to build a headquarters for Amigos For Kids that would be owned by the organization itself. The building, which would be located in a central Miami community like Allapattah or Little Havana, would help local youth of all backgrounds. 'This facility we want to build could be game-changing,' he said.
With an affinity for helping others, like the banking executive who grew up in Amigos For Kids programs, Plasencia knows he is on the right track.
'You reap what you sow,' he said. 'The more you give of yourself and your time, the more that it comes back to you. There's a lot of good people that want to make a difference.'
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