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When Janina Carranza arrived in Homestead from Honduras in 1986, the South Dade area barely resembled today’s thriving community.
“It was very different,” said Carranza, who became president of the Kiwanis Club of Homestead-South Dade on Oct. 1. “There were like two or three kids in my school who spoke Spanish. Not my class, my entire school. It was culture shock.”
The little 6-year-old who spoke no English only knew that her mother and father, Marta and Jose Portillo, were searching for opportunity, a better life and the American dream.
And for Carranza, that dream came true and she quickly picked up her “new” language and excelled in school with a special love of science and nature. She graduated from South Dade Senior High School and headed off Texas to live with an aunt and attend college.
During the stay in Texas, Carranza met, fell in love and married her husband, Elton (they celebrated their 20th anniversary shortly after the Kiwanis club’s 40th annual Dolphin Days Family Fishing Tournament in June) and they moved back to Homestead. Together they raised a beautiful family that includes daughters Kassandra, a 20-year-old senior at FIU, and 17-year-old Martha, a senior at Somerset Academy-South.
Carranza, who handles the marketing — which includes ad design, brand recognition and community outreach — for Bob Hilson (one of South Florida’s leading roofing companies) “discovered” Kiwanis almost by “accident.”
One of her former co-workers at PRC, an international calling center in Cutler Ridge, was Erica Avila, a member of Kiwanis (who has served as president of the club) and currently a Homestead Council member. Avila, a staunch Kiwanis supporter who deeply believes in the Kiwanis International slogan, “Improving the world one child and one community at a time,” invited Carranza to attend one of the club’s weekly lunch meetings.
“I started attending meetings and Kiwanis became my passion,” Carranza said with a wide smile. “If I could make a difference in the life of a kid, I wanted to do it.”
Fortunately, Bob Hilson Roofing always encourages its employees to become involved in the community.
“Janina thrives on her involvement with Kiwanis,” said Hilson Roofing president Tibor Torok.
“We support our employees’ community activity. The more you do for the community the more you get in return. It makes you a better person.”
And Carranza’s deep involvement has carried that message to her two daughters.
“I want to show my kids how fortunate they are,” she said with her ever-present smile.
“Not every kid has a loving home, parents, food, clothing. Now the girls volunteer and help out (Kassandra is past president of CKI — the college version of Kiwanis). They know if someone has a need and they’re able to assist they do so. In our family that’s a given!”
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