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Concert Friday will benefit Wolfson Children’s Hospital
The Florida Theatre is hosting a pre-New Year’s Eve party with Bret Michaels and Lita Ford at 8 p.m. Friday.
Michaels, the former lead singer of Poison, is donating a portion of every ticket purchased to Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
Poison had six Top 10 Billboard singles, including “Unskinny Bop,” “Something to Believe In” and the band’s most popular ballad, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” which Michaels wrote.
As a solo artist, Michaels has reached No. 1 on the hard rock chart with his album “Custom Built.” He was featured in “MTV: Cribs” and “Celebrity Apprentice,” which he won in 2010.
Tickets can be purchased at floridatheatre.com or at the Florida Theatre box office.
$40,000 for Ronald McDonald House
Matt Kuchar, seven-time PGA Tour event winner and recipient of the bronze medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics, contributed $40,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Jacksonville.
The organization provides a “home away from home” for families while their children receive medical care.
Kuchar’s donation was directed to support the Jacksonville facility’s expansion campaign.
The contribution is a portion of the proceeds generated from the Presidents Cup 2015, in which Kuchar was a member of the victorious U.S. team.
The Presidents Cup is a golf event with no purse or prize money and players are not paid for their participation.
Instead, each competitor allocates their portion of the proceeds generated to charitable causes.
More information is available at rmhcjacksonville.org.
Angels provide bright Christmas
The Salvation Army in Jacksonville distributed Christmas gifts to families of more than 3,500 children Dec. 20 through this year’s Angel Tree program.
For the first time in Jacksonville, the program was opened up to nearly 150 low-income seniors.
Also, families who are experiencing exceptional hardships are selected for the Adopt-A-Family program in which businesses and churches provide gifts for the entire family. This year, 27 families in Jacksonville were served.
The children in the Angel Tree program are up to age 12.
Donors, businesses and church groups “adopted” the children by picking up Angel Tree tags at Ashley HomeStore locations and the Avenues Mall and then purchasing gifts to match the age, needs and wishes of each child.
The Salvation Army in Clay County distributed Angel Tree gifts to 573 children. This year for the first time there was a registration and distribution in Keystone Heights to serve families for whom the drive to Middleburg would be a barrier.
The Salvation Army in St. Augustine collected gifts for 210 children, as well as 415 gifts for seniors at nursing homes and 70 gifts for children incarcerated in the Youth Detention Center.
The Salvation Army’s Nassau County Hope House exclusively serves low-income seniors and this year gifts were given to 210 people, most of whom were referred by the Nassau County Council on Aging.
$300,000 in aid for Communities In Schools
Volunteer Florida recently awarded Communities In Schools of Jacksonville more than $300,000 to support the nonprofit’s literacy program, Duval Reads.
The matching grant will fund 29 AmeriCorps members in 14 public schools to provide individual and small group tutoring to students reading below grade level in kindergarten through ninth grade during the 2016-17 school year.
The grant also will be used for staff training and to provide reading materials for the students.
Volunteer Florida has been a primary funder of the literacy program since 1999. Duval Reads has helped more than 7,500 students achieve their reading goals, said Steve Gilbert, CEO of Communities In Schools of Jacksonville.
For information about Communities In Schools, visit CISJax.org.
Christmas dinner delivered to 400 seniors
Aging True Community Senior Services, The Jacksonville Jewish Center, Congregation Ahavath Chesed and others in the Jewish community partnered for the 29th year of holiday Meals on Wheels delivery in celebration of the Christmas holiday and the Hebrew tradition of Mitzvah.
On Sunday, volunteer drivers delivered 400 meals to homebound seniors and disabled residents in Duval County.
The menu included baked chicken, roasted potatoes, steamed vegetables and dessert.
Students from Crystal Springs Elementary School and the Girls Scouts of Gateway Council created holiday cards to accompany the meals.
The Aging True Meals on Wheels program promotes senior health, vitality and independence for those it serves.
In addition, through the daily interaction between the drivers and recipients, the program allows for ongoing evaluation of each client’s changing needs.
In Duval County, Meals on Wheels staff and volunteers travel nearly 300 miles per day, delivering nearly 270,000 hot and frozen meals annually.