Alex Rodriguez-Roig, who recently celebrated his milestone 20th anniversary as president of Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade, vividly remembers his first Christmas in Miami after emigrating from Cuba at age 5. In his native country, celebrations were prohibited, so his dad enthusiastically chopped down a tree like he saw in movies.
“He crossed Bird Road with a machete and cut down a pine tree from the park,” Rodriguez-Roig says. “My mom went to the store and got decorations. Everyone was so excited.”
That night, the family heard “pop, pop, pop.” All the ornaments fell to the floor one by one and shattered because the tree’s limbs were too weak.
When the now 48-year-old first joined the Clubs as a volunteer tutor while studying biology at Florida International University (FIU) in 1996, little did he know his love of trees would play such a prominent part in his professional life. For more than 50 years, the organization has held a Christmas tree sale at the Hank Kline Club in Miami. One of its biggest annual fundraisers, it’s expected to bring in approximately $400,000 this year, which is crucial to support ongoing programs and to tear down, rebuild and modernize two of its oldest locations.
“It’s more than just a fundraiser. It’s a community impactful event and brings a lot of goodwill,” he says. “Generations of families have been picking their trees out here every year.”
Rodriguez-Roig goes to the mountains of North Carolina to select 4,000 premium trees from the forest, ranging in size from five feet to 15 feet. The trees are then shipped to Miami in refrigerated trucks to keep them fresh and sell for $60-$1,500.
“There are two things you get out of walking through the forest. One is the smell and two is the peacefulness because you’re in the middle of nowhere,” he describes. “You hear the wind through the pine trees and it’s so beautiful.”
The Clubs also spread holiday cheer by hosting parties for the kids and housing a makeshift toy store in their conference room for parents to select from thousands of donated toys, so each child has gifts underneath their tree and in their stocking.
Children and family are at the core of who Rodriguez-Roig is as a person. Married to wife Cristina for 24 years, they raised two daughters, Isabella, 20, and Angelina, 18, in Miami. Both girls now attend FIU. In his spare time, Rodriguez-Roig enjoys scuba diving and playing guitar.