The Deblinger Foundation was founded in honor of the late Ronald and Michelle Deblinger by their son, Matthew. Ronald Arthur Deblinger was born in Miami, FL, where he attended the University of Miami and pioneered the on-hold music and messaging industry with his company, Audicom, Inc. Michelle Suzanne Portell received her degree in education from the University of Michigan and taught English to both children with disabilities in Houston, TX, and students in Kyoto, Japan. After relocating to Miami to work as a flight attendant for Air Florida, Ron and Michelle met through a blind date, and married in 1987.

Ronald passed away in 2001 after battling juvenile diabetes throughout his life. Michelle passed away in 2012 from endometrial sarcoma, a rare type of uterine cancer. They are survived by their three children: Matthew, Victoria, and Eric.

This nonprofit aims to aid a wide range of low-income families in the Miami-Dade community.