Downtown Vision Inc. hosted its inaugural gala, “Urban Oasis,” Saturday with a sold-out crowd of more than 200 supporters.
About $14,000 was raised to help kick off the Downtown advocacy organization’s “parklet” program that will create an improved pedestrian experience and more outdoor seating adjacent to restaurants and lounges.
Dinner was provided by Black Sheep Restaurant with dessert from Peterbrooke Chocolatier. Beverages were provided by Intuition Ale Works, Bold City Brewery and the Jacksonville Landing.
Awards also were on the agenda.
Lydia Cobbert was recognized as the Downtown Ambassador of the Year. The Downtowner of the Year award went to NAI Hallmark Partners principal Alex Coley and Sweet Pete’s Candy is the Downtown Business of the Year.
The Jessie Ball duPont Fund received the Downtown Achievement award for its renovation of the former Haydon Burns Library to create below-market rate office space that helped move 14 nonprofits into new space in the urban core.
PAL boxing Saturday at Ed Austin Park
The Police Athletic League of Jacksonville Inc. will host its fourth annual Julian E. Jackson Amateur Boxing Championship noon-8 p.m. Saturday at the JaxPAL Julian Jackson Center in Ed Austin Regional Park on Monument Road.
More than 100 youth and adults will participate in the tournament.
Boxers are registered from Florida, Georgia and other areas of the East Coast that are affiliated with police athletic leagues or other boxing organizations.
Spectators are welcome and tickets will be available at the door.
The championship is named after Julian E. Jackson, a local businessman who founded Lil Champ stores and was a supporter of area sports programs, including those offered through JaxPAL.
Net proceeds will support the JaxPAL boxing program that provides children living in low-income neighborhoods the opportunity to learn and train in the sport.
For more information, contact Officer Tom Waarum at (904) 854-6555, ext. 328, or [email protected].
Burr Foundation hosts ‘A Night at Roy’s’
The Monique Burr Foundation for Children Inc. will host “A Night at Roy’s” to benefit the organization’s Child Safety Matters, a research–based, bullying and child abuse prevention education program.
The event is 6-9 p.m. April 19 at Roy’s Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach.
The evening will feature contemporary, Hawaiian-influenced, gourmet cuisine by celebrity chef Roy Yamaguchi. In addition to dinner, fine wines and tropical drinks provided by Southern Wine and Spirits will be available.
Advance ticket purchase is recommended; tickets are available for $100 per person by visiting anightatroys.com.
Sponsorship opportunities are also available. Call (904) 642-0210 for more information.
Human trafficking conference April 20
Leaders in the fight against child abuse and human trafficking will gather April 20 to share their thoughts on efforts to stop both in Northeast Florida.
Connecting The Dots To Prevent Child Abuse, hosted by The Exchange Club Family Center Of Northeast Florida, will convene at The Jacksonville Marriott on Salisbury Road.
The keynote speaker will be Richard Lapchick, a human rights activist and founder and president of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport.
Kristin Keen, founder and president of Rethreaded Inc., is the honorary chairwoman for the conference.
There were more than 400 human trafficking cases reported in 2015 in Florida, including 122 cases involving minors, said Amanda Rolfe, president of The Exchange Club Family Center of Northeast Florida.
Registration for the conference and luncheon is open, with early registration prices in effect until April 5.
Tickets are $50 for either the morning or afternoon session and the luncheon or $25 each without the luncheon. Tickets for the full-day conference and luncheon are $100. The conference is from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Jacksonville Marriott, 4670 Salisbury Road.
To purchase tickets, sponsor the event, or for more information, visit exchangeclubfamilycenter.com.
Community Nutcracker donates $55,000
Community Nutcracker Inc. presented $55,000 in donations to nine local charities: Dreams Come True of Jacksonville, Community Health Outreach; Community Hospice PedsCare; Designs from the HeART; Healing Every Autistic Life (HEAL); Jacksonville Speech & Hearing Center; Learn to Read; Sanctuary on 8th Street; and WeCare Jacksonville.
The donations were a portion of the proceeds from the 24th annual production of The Nutcracker Ballet at the Florida Theatre, sponsored in December by Community First Credit Union.
With the donations, the total given since its premiere in 1992 is over $500,000.
In addition, for more than 10 years, Community Nutcracker has worked directly with Dreams Come True to help bring joy and comfort to more than 30 children battling life-threatening illnesses.
The 2015 production raised $30,000 for Dreams Come True. The remaining $25,000 was distributed to the eight other local charities supported by Community Nutcracker.
Nimnicht Chevrolet is underwriting all 2,000 tickets for the Dec. 8 Community Service Night performance for those involved with nonprofits and other social service agencies.
Organizations interested in receiving tickets for that night can make a request by email at [email protected].
Fundraising race for USS Adams
The USS Adams Museum has teamed with the Southeast US Boat Show for the “Race to the Boat Show” on April 12 at Metropolitan Park.
The USS Adams Museum Boat Drop Race is an opportunity for the community to show support by buying toy boats for a chance to win the grand prize of a one-year membership to Freedom Boat Club.
Tickets are $10 per boat and may be purchased at ussadams.com or at the USS Adams Museum Store in the Jacksonville Landing.
In addition to the grand prize, more than 50 other prizes will be awarded.
Proceeds from the boat race support bringing the USS Charles F. Adams to Jacksonville.
The Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association is a nonprofit and the parent organization of the USS ADAMS Museum.
For more information, visit ussadams.com.
Cocktails, shopping for HabiJax on March 31
Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville Inc. hosts its Women Build with Couture Construction & Cocktails at 5:30 p.m. March 31 at Linda Cunningham Couture Boutique at 1049 Kings Ave in San Marco.
The honorary chair is Ann Hicks, known for her philanthropic support and passion for housing and education.
Attendees will hear from women in the HabiJax homeownership program, sample wines from women-owned vintners, shop at Linda Cunningham’s boutique and learn how to become involved in the HabiJax.
During the event, 10 percent of all purchases at the boutique will be donated to support the 2016 Women Build.
HabiJax’s Women Build program will run weekly from April 8-May 20. Participants will build a home with homebuyer Redericka, a Jacksonville native and graduate of Robert E. Lee High School and e-service specialist with CitiBank.
Currently, she and her two sons, ages 3 and 5, live with her mother in an effort to save money to purchase a home. By the end of the program, Redericka will have put in 300 hours of work building her new home.
Tickets to the event are $125 per person. Sponsorship opportunities are available. For tickets or more information, visit HabiJax.org/womenbuild or call (904) 208-6651.