Staff from the CMA Fort Lauderdale office participated in the Shared Meal program with the HOPE South Florida Organization at Vision of Hope Family Worship Center in Fort Lauderdale. Through their Shared Meal program, our staff helped to provide approximately 100 meals to the homeless. Our group of volunteers consisted of Manuel Caamano, David Castro, Chandler Day (guest), Jessica Diaz, Vince Locigno, Natalie Mecklenburg, Ruben Soto (subconsultant), Jose Tamo and Johanna Zona.  HOPE South Florida is a non-profit organization that provides housing assistance and support to thousands of homeless families, veterans, and individuals. Through their Shared Meal program, they have provided over 31,850 meals to the homeless. For more information, please visit http://hopesouthflorida.org/

Per Wikipedia, Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick, is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland. The day commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland, and celebrates the heritage and culture of the Irish in general. Celebrations generally involve public parades and festivals, cèilidhs, and the wearing of green attire or shamrocks. Saint Patrick’s Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador (for provincial government employees), and the British Overseas Territory of Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora around the world, especially in the United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Brazil, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand. Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated in more countries than any other national festival. 

CMA Vice President Jose L. Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE received the Cuban American Association of Civil Engineers (CAACE) Villanueva award in recognition for his outstanding lifetime contributions in the civil engineering field, his dedication to the CAACE and his charitable efforts in our community at the CAACE Gala on Saturday March 17 at the Miami Airport Hilton. CMA Sr. Engineer/Miami Branch Manager Greg Mendez, P.E. and Chairman of the Board Dr. Ben Chen, P.E., BCEE were also in attendance to receive the Project of the Year award for Category 2 for our Sunset  Islands 3 & 4 project. The project featured elevating the roadways, and a new interconnected drainage system including storm water pump stations to address sea level rise on the low-lying islands. For more information about the CAACE, please visit http://www.c-aace.org

Representatives of CMA participated again this year in the Concrete Canoe Competition as part of the ASCE Southeast Student Conference.  Jose Acosta, P.E., F.ASCE, Jessica Diaz, EI, Patrick Kaimrajh, P.E., Teresa Lewis, EI and Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP served as judges and coordinated events held at University of Florida on March 1-3. Carlos Tijerino, EI and interns from our various offices attended the event as well: Charmaine Emanuels (FAU – Fort Lauderdale Office), Nicholas Karpathy (UM – Miami Office), Ramone Spalding (UF – Fort Lauderdale Office). Former intern Alejandra Duarte (UF – Fort Lauderdale Office) and Ruben Soto (subconsultant) also attended. More than 1,200 students from 26 universities in the Southeast region of the United States and Puerto Rico competed in the three-day event. The University Puerto Rico Mayaguez was named the Overall Southeast Conference Champion and the University of Florida won the Concrete Canoe Competition. As a navigator sponsor, CMA served as an exclusive sponsor of the Concrete Canoe Competition where Peter Moore presented the awards. CMA also had the opportunity to host a table at the job fair. For more information about the event, please visit www.SE-ASCE2018.com

Team CMA participated in the Feeding South Florida (FSF) 8th Annual Outrun Hunger 5K on February 24 at Charnow Park, Hollywood Beach Boardwalk.  Outrun Hunger 5K is a fundraising event supporting Feeding South Florida’s mission to end hunger in South Florida. For every registration, Feeding South Florida is able to provide 120 meals to those in need.  For more information on FSF and how you can help visit: www.feedingsouthflorida.org

CMA attended the SFBJ Best Places to Work in South Florida awards program at The Signature Grand in Davie. The awards program recognized small, medium and large companies deemed by their employees to be the Best Places to Work in South Florida. More than 500 professionals attended the event. CMA ranked 9th overall in the medium-sized company category – congratulations! For more information, please visit http://bit.ly/2ERkWm7

Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine is celebrated annually on February 14. Originating as a Western Christian feast day honoring one or more early saints named Valentinus, Valentine’s Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country. For more information, please visit  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day

FES’ Broward Chapter MATHCOUNTS Competition was held Saturday, February 10 at Miramar High School in Fort Lauderdale.  CMA staff volunteered for the event (pictured left to right): Vince Locigno, Joel Brownsey, Patrick Kaimrajh, Daniel Davila, Teresa Lewis, Natalie Mecklenburg, Jessica Diaz, Kathy Horrigan, and Dharma Ramsaran (guest). The MATHCOUNTS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that strives to engage middle school students of all ability and interest levels in fun, challenging math programs, in order to expand their academic and professional opportunities.  For more information, please visit http://www.mathcounts.org/

The CMA Social Activities Committee held our Second Annual ‘Healthy Day’ on January 25 in all offices!  The WPB office climbed the stairs in the morning, took an after lunch outdoor walk and practiced late afternoon yoga. The FTL office started their day with a healthy breakfast and sun salutations followed by chair exercises late morning. After lunch the crew enjoyed a walk outside and took the stairs. The day ended with energizing stretches and exercises. Healthy food was enjoyed throughout the day.