Helping Hands MB

Helping Hands MB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit co-founded by twin brothers Jonathan and David Tamen when they were 15 and student leaders at Miami Beach Senior High School. It has continued to expand and involve more students in its mission to create a community of students educated with skills that benefit themselves, others, and their community. More than 1,100 students in grades 3 to 12 have participated in a Helping Hands project.

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The signature project is a transformative four-week summer STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) enrichment camp for elementary and middle school students, predominately from underprivileged and marginalized families. We aim to help “level the playing field” for students with fun hands-on learning activities that build skills and confidence in the classroom. Our bilingual volunteer camp instructors work one-on-one with students to build their own leadership and STEM skills.

Helping Hands evolved out of a community service project conceived by Jonathan, then Captain of his school’s FIRST Robotics team. Jonathan pitched his proposal to the Mayor and Commissioners of the City of Miami Beach to sponsor his STEAM+ project idea to mentor low-income elementary students in fun coding and robotics classes. The project was a huge success, bringing accolades from city leaders, school principals, teachers,  parents, and most importantly all students – both big and small.

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In May 2020, Jonathan and David received a Call for Kindness award from the Riley’s Way Foundation, with a $3,000 grant to launch Helping Hands MB and a chapter of the e-NABLE (Enabling the Future) engineering charity. Helping Hands MB is the first e-NABLE Chapter in Miami.