Are you looking for a onestop summer camp that will provide an exciting, well-rounded summer experience for your child?

City Trekker Summer Camp at the new Coral Gables Museum offers eight weeks of fun and educational activities for children ages 5-12, from June 21 through Aug. 13.

The summer camp explores the City of Coral Gables though a variety of disciplines and takes advantage of all the cultural destinations and activities that the City Beautiful has to offer.

Through special presentations, art activities and fieldtrips that will support weekly themes, campers will come to better understand their natural and man-made environments. Campers will learn about architecture, landscape design, art, urban planning, as well as historic and environmental preservation.

The Coral Gables Museum provides a safe place to create, play and learn. Campers will be grouped according to age. Camp will take place Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Early drop-off and late pickup are available. Discounts for multi-week registration are available.

The mission of the Coral Gables Museum is to celebrate the City Beautiful with a focus on architecture, urban design and planning, as well as sustainable development and environmental preservation through education, scholarship and exhibitions. Engaging a variety of partners — schools, universities and professional organizations — through interdisciplinary programming and exhibitions, the museum will provide visitors with skills to better understand the environment, and thereby determine the future of their communities.

Additional information concerning the Coral Gables Museum may be found online at < www.coralgablesmuseum.org >.

For 90 years, its lively membership has been comprised of composers, performers, teachers, music professionals and music lovers. Its activities have included concerts, competitions, galas and monthly meetings. The club’s philanthropy has resulted in scholarship money for young musicians, and its founding member was none other than composer Mana-Zucca, who settled in Miami and brought musical talents from around the world to perform in her home, which was dubbed “The Carnegie Hall of the South.”

The Miami Music Club was founded in 1920 for the express purpose of distributing scholarship money to young, talented musicians on a career path. While many of its original members have passed on, its enrollment continues as fresh faces of all ages become members.

President Ana Rodriguez was a Miami Music Club scholarship recipient, and is excited to be giving back to the club that gave her so much. She and Dr. Laura Keith, vice president, are busy performing concerts, holding competitions and increasing enrollment.

The Miami Music Club will host its fundraiser, the Annual Gala 2010, on May 12, 1 p.m., at the Steinway Piano Gallery in Coral Gables. Ana Rodriguez and Laura Keith will perform selected one piano-four handspieces, some of which are quite rare. Composers include Shubert, Chopin, Dvorak, Cervantes, Saint-Saens and Barber, who is included in honor of the centennial year of Barber’s birth. The Chopin piece, Variations in D Major, Opus Posthumous, is the only composition he wrote for one piano-four hands, and is so rare that it had to be ordered from Poland because no publisher in the United States distributes it.

The Annual Gala 2010 will include a catered lunch and drinks. The cost is $35, and the money goes directly to the Miami Music Club’s scholarship fund. The event is open to the public. Appropriate business attire is requested.

Part of the enthusiasm Ana Rodriguez feels for this historic club is due to the scholarship money members once awarded her. She went on to earn her Master of Music degree from the Mannes College of Music. This Cuban-American pianist specializes in Latin American music, and has performed extensively in concerts and recitals in Europe, Mexico, Canada and the United States. She has been presented in prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie’s Recital Hall and Merkin Recital Hall, and has been televised and broadcast on radio in New York and Mexico.

Rodriguez also has received several prestigious awards, including the Puerto Rican Cultural Association’s Emilia Conde Award for young talent, Artist International Special Presentation Award in Carnegie’s Recital Hall, and Artist International Alumni Award in Merkin Recital Hall. She also was seen and heard in the movie Fourhand, where she plays solo and chamber music.

Laura Keith received her doctorate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Miami. The subject of her dissertation was Mana-Zucca, a child prodigy, pianist and composer who was integral in bringing classical music to Miami in the 1920s.

Dr. Keith has maintained a piano studio for many years and is the vice president of the Miami Music Teachers Association, as well as vice president of the Miami Music Club. Her students range in age from 3 to adult. Dr. Keith recently gave a lecture recital in Portland, OR, at the National College Music Society Conference, and performed in the Miami Civic Music Piano Gala Concert at UM’s Gusman Hall. For more information on the Miami Music Club and membership opportunities, visit online at < www.themiamimusicclub.org >.

For 90 years, its lively membership has been comprised of composers, performers, teachers, music professionals and music lovers. Its activities have included concerts, competitions, galas and monthly meetings. The club’s philanthropy has resulted in scholarship money for young musicians, and its founding member was none other than composer Mana-Zucca, who settled in Miami and brought musical talents from around the world to perform in her home, which was dubbed “The Carnegie Hall of the South.”

The Miami Music Club was founded in 1920 for the express purpose of distributing scholarship money to young, talented musicians on a career path. While many of its original members have passed on, its enrollment continues as fresh faces of all ages become members.

President Ana Rodriguez was a Miami Music Club scholarship recipient, and is excited to be giving back to the club that gave her so much. She and Dr. Laura Keith, vice president, are busy performing concerts, holding competitions and increasing enrollment.

The Miami Music Club will host its fundraiser, the Annual Gala 2010, on May 12, 1 p.m., at the Steinway Piano Gallery in Coral Gables. Ana Rodriguez and Laura Keith will perform selected one piano-four handspieces, some of which are quite rare. Composers include Shubert, Chopin, Dvorak, Cervantes, Saint-Saens and Barber, who is included in honor of the centennial year of Barber’s birth. The Chopin piece, Variations in D Major, Opus Posthumous, is the only composition he wrote for one piano-four hands, and is so rare that it had to be ordered from Poland because no publisher in the United States distributes it.

The Annual Gala 2010 will include a catered lunch and drinks. The cost is $35, and the money goes directly to the Miami Music Club’s scholarship fund. The event is open to the public. Appropriate business attire is requested.

Part of the enthusiasm Ana Rodriguez feels for this historic club is due to the scholarship money members once awarded her. She went on to earn her Master of Music degree from the Mannes College of Music. This Cuban-American pianist specializes in Latin American music, and has performed extensively in concerts and recitals in Europe, Mexico, Canada and the United States. She has been presented in prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie’s Recital Hall and Merkin Recital Hall, and has been televised and broadcast on radio in New York and Mexico.

Rodriguez also has received several prestigious awards, including the Puerto Rican Cultural Association’s Emilia Conde Award for young talent, Artist International Special Presentation Award in Carnegie’s Recital Hall, and Artist International Alumni Award in Merkin Recital Hall. She also was seen and heard in the movie Fourhand, where she plays solo and chamber music.

Laura Keith received her doctorate in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from the University of Miami. The subject of her dissertation was Mana-Zucca, a child prodigy, pianist and composer who was integral in bringing classical music to Miami in the 1920s.

Dr. Keith has maintained a piano studio for many years and is the vice president of the Miami Music Teachers Association, as well as vice president of the Miami Music Club. Her students range in age from 3 to adult. Dr. Keith recently gave a lecture recital in Portland, OR, at the National College Music Society Conference, and performed in the Miami Civic Music Piano Gala Concert at UM’s Gusman Hall. For more information on the Miami Music Club and membership opportunities, visit online at < www.themiamimusicclub.org >.

With more than 15 new restaurants, merchants and cultural venues debuting in Downtown Coral Gables in the coming months, Miracle Mile is abuzz with action.

Dining is the talk of the town with celebrity chef Norman Van Aken making his highly anticipated return to the Gables and the Ale House introducing its casual brand of fun to the area. Additionally, J. Del Olmo bridal salon and Reminiscence antiques and accessories have relocated to accommodate a 300-seat Seasons 52. The healthy grill and wine bar will take over six storefronts on the north side of the 300 block of Miracle Mile between Salzedo Street and LeJeune Road.

“There’s a lot of excitement in the air this spring, notably in the 300 block,” said Mari Gallet, executive director of the Business Improvement District (BID) of Coral Gables. “While we, like other major retail districts, saw some storefronts go dark during the height of the recession, a considerable amount of development has been underway since late last year, and we are looking forward to what the second half of 2010 will bring.

“As of Apr. 15, we had 93 percent of all of the storefronts on Miracle Mile leased, which is one of the lowest commercial vacancy rates in Miami-Dade County.” Cultural projects nearing completion include the Coral Gables Cinemateque and the Coral Gables Museum, which has announced an opening date of Oct. 10. Women’s apparel, home furnishings, bridal accessories and salons round out the list of newcomers.

New and relocated businesses include: Now open Abrabanel Rugs, Fine handmade Persian and Oriental carpets, 349 Miracle Mile; Agonagona, Women’s apparel for all occasions, 252 Miracle Mile; Anton Acero Beauty Studio, Beauty salon, 380 Miracle Mile; Avante-Garde, Sushi, salads and sandwiches, 30 Giralda Ave., and Twinkle Twinkle, Bridal accessory studio, 40 Miracle Mile.

Coming soon

Ale House, Casual dining food and drink chain, 101 Miracle Mile; Bellobaby Rooms, Bedding, décor and accessories, 347 Miracle; Mile Coral Gables Cinemateque, Art cinema offering international programming for all age groups, 260 Aragon Ave.; Coral Gables Museum, Focusing on the history, art and architecture of the local area, 285 Aragon Ave.; Iron Sushi, Casual dining Japanese restaurant, 70 Aragon Ave.; La Estrada, Furniture, 257 Miracle Mile; Norman’s 180, Casual dining restaurant by Chef Norman Van Aken, the “founding father of New World cuisine,” 180 Aragon Ave.; Panera Bread, Bakery-café restaurant offering breads, sandwiches, soups, salads and bakery items, 137 Miracle Mile; Seasons 52, Fresh grill and wine bar, 335 Miracle Mile; Studio 61, Beauty salon, 61 Miracle Mile, and Wine Fashion Florence Café, High fashion retail showroom selling Tuscan fashion and food, 220 Aragon Ave. Relocations J. Del Olmo, Bridal salon, 324 Miracle Mile, and Reminiscence, Antiques and accessories, 357 Miracle Mile.

Downtown Coral Gables and Miracle Mile is a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood infused with a chic European feel.

Decorated with tree-lined streets and Mediterranean architecture, the historic area boasts some of Miami’s finest boutiques, acclaimed restaurants and lively cultural venues. With more than 160 retailers and more than 70 restaurants, Downtown Coral Gables and Miracle Mile is a sophisticated destination to shop, live, play and work.

For more information and a directory, visit online at < www.shopcoralgables.com >.

Humanitarian, physician, author and family man, Dr. Pedro Jose Greer is someone whose passion to help those less fortunate is a movie script waiting to happen. He is one of those people who bring home the message that one person can make a difference. One only has to look at Greer’s accomplishments to comprehend how this one man has changed the lives of so many.

Dr. Joe Greer, who has a joint private practice with his father, Pedro Greer Sr., also is the assistant dean of Academic Affairs at the Florida International University School of Medicine, where he serves as chair of the Department of Humanities, Health and Society.

In 1984, inspired to never let anyone die alone after the death of his sister four years earlier, Greer happened onto Camillus House in search of the family of a homeless man he had encountered who was dying of TB. That initial outreach to one man, gave way to his founding Camillus Health Concern, an agency that provides medical care to more than 10,000 homeless patients a year in Miami, as well as of the St. John Bosco Clinic, where he is medical director. That clinic provides basic primary medical care to disadvantaged children and adults in the Little Havana community.

Over the years Greer has been recognized by several U.S. Presidents for his work with Miami’s poor. He also has received three Papal Medals, “Pro Ecclesia ET Pontifica” and was knighted by the Knights of Malta and the Order of St. Gregory the Great. In addition, he was the recipient of the prestigious MacArthur “genius grant.”

Greer’s autobiography, Waking up in America: How One Doctor Brings Hope to Those Who Need It Most, is both inspiring and a great read. He has published more than 25 articles and book chapters on subjects from digestive disorders to poverty in America and has been featured on every major television networks as well as HBO and PBS.

While Greer completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Florida, he received his medical degree from La Universidad Catolica, Madre and Maestra. He completed his post doctoral studies at the University of Miami where he was chief medical resident and a fellow in hematology at the center for liver diseases, a fellowship in gastroenterology, earning two post doctoral fellowships.

Greer serves on a multitude of high profile boards and is a sought after speaker who is both entertaining and inspiring. He is a man whose sense of humor brings laughter and whose passion for the homeless and disenfranchised can bring tears to the most stoic of individuals.

He has lectured at Harvard, Emory and the University of Florida, always encouraging medical students to continue his outreach. A family man, Greer is married to Janus and has two grown children, Alana, 25, and Peter, 22.