Miami Herald - Thursday, September 11, 2003
Isis Iglesias, Herald Writer

The 8- to 12-year-olds are part of the Sweet Vine Steppers, which is part of Sweet Vine, the brainchild of Tonnette Collier, founder and CEO of the group that offers help for children of low-income families in South Miami-Dade.

Collier is getting the kids ready to take part in Saturday's South Dade Environmental Fair and Festival, which happens from 1 to 4 p.m. at Harris Field, at Southwest 312th Street and South Dixie Highway in Homestead.

Collier is as passionate about the environment as she is about helping kids in the area -- one reason she partnered with DERM and Florida International University's Hemispheric Center for Environmental Technology to stage the event.

The Museum of Science wildlife center is bringing out birds of prey and reptiles and the festival will include The Earth Man Band, face painting, a petting zoo, rock climbing wall, kayaking clinics, a drumming workshop and more.

Collier says the festival is a natural thing for her nature-loving group to do.

Sweet Vine took groups of kids on several trips for camping to Lake Okeechobee this summer; the kids fished, saw wildlife and slept in cabins.

Collier often takes them on nature field trips because she says it gives them an incentive to do well in the program and in school.

Only kids whose grades are C or better are allowed to participate in special outings.

The kids wear their aqua blue Sweet Vine T-shirts as they are driven around by Collier to places like the IMAX theater or the Everglades.

Community outings and activities play a big role at Sweet Vine.

"It's important to give children positive social exposure," she said. "We show these kids there is more to life than what they see in their neighborhoods."

Sweet Vine is funded by local civic and government agencies like the Office of Community and Economic Development OCED, The Miami Dade Empowerment Board, the County Commission and DERM.

The organization serves about 100 children between ages 6 and 18.

The kids are separated into age groups and attend the program on alternate days for three hours of educational activities.

Collier started Sweet Vine in 2001, aiming to make a safe place for children in Florida City and West Homestead to play and learn.

Besides discussing such issues as protecting the environment and drug prevention, Sweet Vine also teaches AIDS awareness and other health topics.

Collier works with school officials to monitor the progress of kids in the program, keeping a file on each child and tabs on all their grades, even the progress reports.

She knows which kids are on the honor roll and singles them out as role models.

"She spends time at the school," says Sara Welch, community involvement specialist at Laura C. Saunders Elementary in West Homestead. "She checks on their attendance and talks to the teachers."

Sweet Vine also works with kids who are in trouble with the law -- and authorities say the program makes a difference.

"We have referred 35 or 40 kids to Sweet Vine in the past eight months," said Catherimarty Burgos, a supervisor for Miami-Dade's Post Arrest Diversion program. "Overall, we have had a good experience. About 98 percent of the kids we have referred to her have completed the program."

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