By Robert C. Jones Jr.
UM News

MIAMI, Fla. (February 8, 2015)—The pain shooting down Celia Schieffelin’s left ankle was only a minor distraction. Inspired by the courageous battle her mother fought but ultimately lost against cancer, the 19-year-old University of Miami student seemed impervious to just about anything during a 25-mile bike ride from Fort Lauderdale’s Esplanade Park to Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

But Schieffelin didn’t complete the marathon-length journey to shine a spotlight on herself. “It’s about the cause,” she said.

Schieffelin was one of the more than 2,700 cyclists who took to the streets February 7-8 for Dolphins Cycling Challenge V. The two-day charity event, which culminated Sunday with hundreds of cyclists riding to Sun Life Stadium, raises funds for the lifesaving treatment and research programs of UM’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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Former Miami Dolphins tight end Jim “Mad Dog” Mandich helped start the fundraiser five years ago while he was battling bile duct cancer, a disease that took his life in April 2011 at the age of 62. The event, which features rides of various lengths over three counties, has raised close to $10 million since it began in 2010, with more than $3.4 million being raised for this year’s DCC.

Several UM employees and students rode as members of Team Sylvester. Schieffelin formed her own team. “We all feel very strongly and passionate about wiping out cancer, and that’s why we united to form Team Barb,” she said, referring to the group of cyclists she organized to honor her late mother, Barbara Burg, and raise funds for Sylvester’s research initiatives.

On Sunday, Schieffelin crossed the finish line about two hours after she departed Fort Lauderdale—other members of Team Barb riding alongside her or following closely behind. Wearing hot pink jerseys with the slogan “Team Barb: Family Is Forever” on the front, they included Schieffelin’s aunts and uncles, who flew in from New York to ride with her, as well as fellow UM students and a group of friends who traveled from California. Thirty-two riders strong, Team Barb has raised more than $100,000 for the cause.

It was Schieffelin’s second DCC. She rode in DCC IV in November 2013 as a freshman, completing a 13-mile ride even as her mother battled colorectal cancer that had spread to other parts of her body. The finance and management major almost missed this year’s ride, tearing two ligaments in her left ankle last semester. But the injury, while not completely healed, improved enough so that she could train on a stationary bike to prepare for the event.

Like Schieffelin, Lynette Estrada’s reason for riding hits close to home. Her teenage son, Lucas, in addition to having autism, has battled brain cancer for most of his life. “We draw strength from each other,” said Estrada. “Despite his autism, he understands why I ride. When I tell him or remind him, he answers, ‘Oh yeah!’ And he puts up both fists as if he’s fighting someone. Lucas is my biggest fan.”

Lucas came down with a persistent cough days before the DCC. So instead of riding the 72-mile “Perfect Season Ride” from West Palm Beach to Miami, as she had planned, Estrada hooked up her Specialized road bike to a trainer and pedaled for five hours inside her home on Sunday, stopping only for water breaks and to administer medication to her son.

It was Joe Natoli’s fourth Dolphins Cycling Challenge. UM’s senior vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer rode 170 miles—from Sun Life Stadium to West Palm Beach on Saturday, with the return ride on Sunday. He called Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center “a hugely important community asset.”

“It needs to be—and is on its way to being—one of the finest cancer centers in the world,” said Natoli. “The DCC, by providing significant funds for unrestricted cancer research, addresses one of the most critical needs for achieving world-class status. I’m thrilled with the growth in the DCC over its first five years, but we have just scratched the surface of its potential—and Sylvester’s potential for greatness.”

Among the other prominent riders: Stuart A. Miller, chairman of the UM Board of Trustees; Pascal J. Goldschmidt, senior vice president for medical affairs, dean of the Miller School of Medicine, and CEO of UHealth; and Stephen D. Nimer, director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

This year’s event included a 5K run/walk, held in the early-morning hours on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium before the cyclists started to arrive.

UM News

UM Trustee and alumnus Robert A. Mann

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (January 14, 2015) — The University of Miami Athletics Department announced a gift last Wednesday of $1 million from UM Trustee and alumnus Robert A. Mann to create the Robert A. Mann Endowed Fund for the Department of Athletics.

This endowment gift, which will support Hurricanes football, basketball, baseball, and emergency needs for all student-athletes as determined by the director of athletics, is in support of Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami. With this gift, the Athletics Department has raised more than $104 million towards its Momentum2 goal of $125 million.

“Thank you to Bob Mann for his longstanding generosity, commitment, and leadership to University of Miami Athletics,” said UM Director of Athletics Blake James. “Bob is a trusted friend to our program and we are grateful that our dedicated student-athletes will forever benefit from Bob’s generosity and leadership.”

A Cleveland native and longtime Golden ’Cane, Mann has generously supported scholarships and facilities in both Athletics and the School of Communication. Mann, A.B. ’70, serves on the University’s Board of Trustees’ Athletics Advisory Committee and chairs the Visiting Committee of the School of Communication. His past contributions to athletics include support for the construction of Alex Rodriguez Park at Mark Light Field, the Robert A. Mann Auditorium in the Schwartz Center for Athletics Excellence, and many years of generous discretionary support.

Recognized for his unwavering commitment to his alma mater, Mann was named Henry King Stanford Alumnus of the Year in 2008.

To learn more about athletics giving opportunities or to make a gift to University of Miami Athletics, visit uhurricaneclub.com or call Jesse Marks, associate athletics director for development, at 305-284-2981.

Jacob “Jake” Winston understands the importance of financial aid for students who have the talent but not the resources to attend the University of Miami. “When I enrolled here as a freshman in 2009, UM gave me a scholarship, and that was a major factor in my decision to come here,” says Winston, a senior security systems technician at the UM Police Department. “Now that I am working full time here, I feel privileged to give back to the University.”

Last May, Winston contributed to the Class of 2014’s senior gift to UM, although he won’t receive his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering until next spring. He also gives 1 percent of his salary to the United Way, designating the University as the recipient. “I put no restrictions on my gifts,” says Winston. “It doesn’t matter where the donation goes as long as it helps UM.”

A native of Michigan, Winston has always been computer savvy, and his high school teachers in engineering design and anatomy inspired him to study the layout and functions of complex systems, such as the human body.

Now, Winston is applying that knowledge to the University’s campus-wide video security system. “Our goal is to protect people and catch criminals,” he says. When campus police conduct an investigation, Winston reviews video footage from surveillance cameras and provides information that can help lead to the apprehension and conviction of a suspect.

When he’s not on duty, Winston enjoys listening to all types of music, relaxing at the beach, and going out with his friends. “Miami is a great international city, and it’s a lot of fun to live and work here,” he says. “There’s something new and different to do every weekend.”

He never wavers, though, from encouraging other employees to do their part in supporting and sustaining the University. “We are all part of the ’Canes family,” he says. “The more we give, the more we strengthen the value of UM as an academic institution.”

The Lennar Foundation Medical Center will deliver breakthrough health care to South Florida starting in 2016.

UM News

When it opens in 2016, the Lennar Foundation Medical Center will deliver premier services of the Miller School of Medicine and the University of Miami Health System.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (October 23, 2014) — The Lennar Foundation, the charitable arm of The Lennar Corporation, one of the nation’s largest builders of quality homes, has given a lead gift of $50 million to name the UHealth at Coral Gables ambulatory center. A ceremonial groundbreaking event for The Lennar Foundation Medical Center took place Thursday afternoon.

To be located on the University of Miami Coral Gables campus, this 200,000-square-foot outpatient center will provide easy access to UHealth’s leading physicians for surrounding communities as well as UM students, faculty, and staff. It is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2016. Read the full story

Helena Solo-Gabriele

As a teacher, researcher, role model, and donor, Helena Solo-Gabriele is making a difference in the world. “Since I was an undergraduate here in the 1980s, our University has made huge advances,” says Solo-Gabriele, professor and associate dean for research in the College of Engineering. “While the amount I give each year isn’t large, I know it’s important. As more and more of our faculty, staff, and alumni donate, our University gains important resources.”

The daughter of Cuban-born parents, Solo-Gabriele is a long-time member of the UM “family.”  Her father, Emilio Solo, earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Miami in 1964. “He would bring our family to the UM pool, and it was always a special trip to come to the campus,” she says. Following in her father’s footsteps, she and her husband, Frank Gabriele, III, introduced their two daughters, Christina, now 19, and Elizabeth, 12, to the campus at an early age. Read the full story