Employees at Jacksonville-based Crowley Maritime Corp. brightened the holidays for 400 patients at Wolfson Children’s Hospital by delivering teddy bears.
Each bear was dressed in a T-shirt decorated with hand-drawn messages of hope and encouragement from the employees. The workers participated as part of the Crowley Cares program, which seeks to make charitable impacts in communities where the company does business.
The program aligns employee and corporate charitable outreach, including donations of time, talent and money.
It includes the Crowley Cares Foundation, a nonprofit that matches and grows employee charitable contributions; the Thomas B. Crowley Sr. Memorial Scholarship program; and an internal employee committee that helps build engagement around the program and support volunteer initiatives.
MDA Toast to Life Gala raises $325,000
Ash Properties, in partnership with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, helped collect more than $325,000 for the nonprofit.
Elaine Ashourian, principal of Ash Properties, and Randall Whitfield, chief operating officer, served as chairs of the MDA Toast to Life Gala on Nov. 19.
The event raised money to assist families fighting the disease in North Florida and South Georgia and for research aimed at finding treatments and cures for muscular dystrophy, ALS and other conditions that limit strength and mobility.
A live auction, which featured a trip to Cancun and an African safari, raised $48,750 for MDA.
Another highlight was the mission drive, which brought in $61,882 to send local children to the week-long MDA summer camp at Camp Suwannee.
Ash Properties has signed on to be a sponsor of next year’s event. Ashourian and Whitfield will again serve as chairs.
For information about sponsorship, email Christina Warmouth at [email protected] or call (904) 296-7434.
Cookbook at benefits Ronald McDonald House
Dillard’s, in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities, is offering a special edition of the Southern Living Christmas Cookbook until Dec. 31.
The annual holiday cookbook benefits the nonprofits across the country, including Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville, an organization that serves as a “home away from home” for families while children receive needed medical care.
The 288-page collection of recipes from Southern Living magazine may be purchased for $10 at Dillard’s in Jacksonville and Orange Park or at dillards.com.
This is the ninth year of Dillard’s Southern Living cookbook fundraiser. Since 1994, Dillard’s has donated more than $13.1 million to Ronald McDonald House.
$50,000 from Farahs for ‘Lunch Break’
The Independent Living Resource Center of Northeast Florida will provide a “Lunch Break” next year to employees with a disability.
The program is supported through a grant from the George C. Forsythe Family Foundation with a $50,000 matching grant from the Farah & Farah law firm.
Lunch Break enables those with a disability who are starting a new job to receive a meal each day for their first two weeks of employment.
The program will add to work productivity and provide healthy nutritional guidance on meals. It may be the only meal of the day for some participants in the program.
Donations to support Lunch Break can be made by visiting theilrc.org/lunchbreak.
For more information about the services of the ILRC of Northeast Florida, visit theilrc.org.
Florida Capital Bank delivers gifts to children at Nemours
From left, Nemours Volunteer Director Mary McCormack; Stephanie Mitchell, client relations representative at Florida Capital Bank; Kelly Cooper, Florida Capital mortgage underwriter; Pam Davis, human resources director at Florida Capital Bank; bank operations manager Kim Etherton; and Anita Speck, marketing director, delivered gifts and a box of donated food to Nemours Children’s Specialty Care. Since the program’s inception, Project Holiday Joy, now in its 21st year, has provided gifts and food to more than 550 families who have a child that is a Nemours patient. Anyone interested in donating to Nemours Children’s Specialty Care can contact the Nemours Fund for Children’s Health at (904) 697-4126.
Toys for Tots from women in insurance and finance
The Northeast Florida chapter of Women in Insurance and Financial Services held its annual holiday membership appreciation event and toy drive Dec. 13 at Aardwolf Brewery. Each year, the local chapter supports the U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation, this year donating dozens of items for local families. Two Marines picked up the toys that will help less-fortunate children experience the joy of the holidays. For more information about the group, visit wifsnefl.org or email [email protected].
Golfers raise $136K for Monique Burr Foundation for Children
From left, PGA Tour golfer Mark McCumber; Ed Burr, founder and chairman of the Monique Burr Foundation for Children; PGA Tour golfer Fred Funk; Lynn Layton, Monique Burr Foundation executive director; M.G. Orender, MBF Champions for Child Safety pro-am tournament chairman; and PGA Tour golfer Jim Furyk. McCumber, Funk and Furyk were the honorary chairs for the pro-am event. More than $136,000 was donated at the 19th annual tournament Nov. 28 at the Palencia Club. Since the tournament began, it has raised more than $3.3 million for the foundation and its programs that help eliminate bullying and child abuse. To learn more, visit moniqueburrfoundation.org or call (904) 642-0210.