Tanya Ramos-Puig

Tanya Ramos-Puig is chief executive officer for the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, which will hold its annual “A Night in the Vineyard” on April 8.

Tell me a bit about yourself, especially your background in the nonprofit sector. Also, how long have you been with the Monique Burr Foundation for Children?

I am a New York native who grew up in a very under-resourced community. I learned firsthand that education was a great equalizer. I have benefitted from mentors throughout my academic and professional career, and I am where I am today because folks believed in me, saw my promise and poured into me. And for that, I am forever grateful. For nearly three decades, I have devoted my career to improving educational opportunities and life outcomes for youth in the most under-resourced communities around the globe. It has been my way of paying it forward. As the CEO of the Monique Burr Foundation (MBF), I am committed to removing obstacles and providing access to evidence-based and trauma-informed prevention education curricula.

Prior to joining MBF, I served as the inaugural president of the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation (LGCF), the philanthropic arm of The Latin Recording Academy®. I was responsible for advancing its mission of furthering international awareness and appreciation of the significant contributions of Latin music and its makers to the world’s culture.

I have been able to make a true impact throughout my career, and I feel lucky to be able to do what I love.

What do you like most about what you do?

I am a servant leader. I am committed to leaving the world better than I found it and feel truly blessed to serve an organization that is in the business of saving lives and keeping children safe. It means so much to me to be able to live a life of purpose, and serving as the CEO of MBF allows me to do just that alongside an incredible staff, remarkable partners and donors, and our board of directors.

Describe the MBF programs and why prevention education matters.

MBF programs are personal safety curricula developed to give children and teens knowledge and strategies to recognize, prevent and respond to child abuse, bullying, cyberbullying, online/digital dangers, exploitation and trafficking. The great things about the programs are that they are evidence-based, trauma-informed, age/developmentally appropriate and they work!

Parents and guardians often wonder if they should allow their children to attend MBF lessons. Some fear they will be exposed to topics too advanced for them. Others fear being exposed to these topics will take away their child’s innocence. But education doesn’t take away a child’s innocence, experiences do. And our programs are designed to prevent those very experiences.

Do you have any tips for parents regarding such things as digital safety and online exploitation?

• Open Communication – Have open and honest conversations about online safety, digital citizenship and the importance of privacy. Having these conversations in a casual and comfortable way can build trust and give youth the confidence to talk to their Safe Adult if they have issues or encounter unsafe situations online.

• Set the Tone and Set Some Boundaries – We encourage parents to familiarize themselves with their child’s device’s parental settings and controls. Create a set of internet-use guidelines that fit your child’s age and maturity level, including what types of websites are appropriate, what information they are allowed to share online and boundaries around the reasonable times for digital device/internet use.

• Participate in their Online Activities – When possible, we encourage you to join your children in their online activities, whether that be through playing a game together, following their social media accounts, watching funny videos together or just asking them to give you a “tutorial” on how to use whatever app they use often. This not only helps you understand what they are consuming, it helps strengthen your relations and keeps communication open.

• Don’t React Harshly – If your child experiences something inappropriate or unsafe online, your first reaction may be to take away their digital device completely. However, this could discourage them from coming to you in future instances. Suppose your child encounters something unsafe or engages in something inappropriate online, it’s crucial for parents and caregivers to respond thoughtfully rather than reacting harshly. Responding calmly and appropriately will encourage open communication, provide effective problem-solving (that will be received) support and build resilience.

Tell me about the MBF’s partnerships with the Boys and Girls Club, PAL and Furyk and Friends. Are there any special events or projects in the works with these organizations?

We have had the privilege of partnering with these two incredible youth-serving organizations (Boys and Girls Club and the Police Athletic League of Jacksonville) over the last year. In our efforts to keep children safe online as well as contribute to developing well-informed digital citizens, we enhanced our Digital Safety Matters curriculum with support from The Jim Moran Foundation to serve after-school youth. We have been able to develop lessons that are engaging, leverage technology and are incredibly interactive. The goal was to meet children where they are at and to leverage learnings from our pilot program that would inform how we deliver this important programming. We pride ourselves on being a learning organization, so we were so thankful for all the input, feedback and thought partnership we received from both PAL and the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida. Finally, Furyk and Friends have been incredible ambassadors of our life-saving work through their generous donations. They have also leveraged their network to help identify new supporters who are committed to helping us realize our mission.

Tell me about “A Night in the Vineyard.”

Hosted during Child Abuse Prevention Month, the fourth annual “A Night in the Vineyard” (benefiting the Monique Burr Foundation for Children) is a philanthropic event that features live entertainment, auctions, gourmet food, curated wine pairings, cocktails and interactive art — all while supporting a great cause: prevention of child abuse and bullying. We are also very excited about the Boys and Girls Club of Northeast Florida art showcase this year, which will feature artwork from local students. It’s happening on April 8, and you don't want to miss it!

In December, you have the Dream Finders Home Pro-Am Golf Tournament. What can you tell me and our readers about that?

Before Monique passed away in 1996, she was in the process of planning her first charitable golf tournament. Unfortunately, Monique did not get a chance to see it come to life. With the assistance and guidance of MG Orender (president of Hampton Golf and former president of the PGA of America), we are blessed to carry out her dream by hosting the annual MBF Champions for Child Safety Pro-Am Golf Tournament. The Tournament — MBF’s largest fundraising event of the year — gives players a chance to enjoy a round of golf with a professional golfer while supporting MBF. We have pros like Jim Furyk, Justin James, Vijay Singh and Kenny Knox join us for a fun day on the course at The Palencia Club in St. Augustine, Florida. This year’s event will occur on Dec. 8. You can find more information at www.championsforchildsafety.com.

What do you like best about living here on the First Coast?

It has been an incredible journey! As a New York native who has worked in Florida for nearly five years, it has been nice to no longer be just a visitor to the First Coast. I truly fell in love with this area, and I feel really lucky to call this my new home alongside my husband of nearly 20 years and my daughter and son. For me, the best part of living here is the opportunity to spend far more time outdoors and, of course, being close to the beach. The beach has always been my happy place!