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Highlighting Jacksonville’s Philanthropic Community
As our community continues to face a tight economy and shrinking budgets, the Daily Record has established this page that will each week chronicle the efforts of local nonprofit organizations. Bailey Publishing & Communications invites all members of the local nonprofit community to submit news, announcements, success stories and any other information they feel would be of interest to our readers. E-mail to: [email protected].
We also encourage our readers to become more aware of the needs of these worthy organizations as they try to continue to provide valuable services with reduced resources.
New youth program introduced
Goodwill Industries of North Florida has launched a program designed to assist youth in overcoming disadvantages and plan careers. The national youth mentoring program, known as “Goodwill GoodGuides,” will help teens finish school and transition into productive careers, with the guidance of trusted adults.
“Goodwill has a long history of helping people find work,” said Bob Thayer, CEO of Goodwill Industries of North Florida. “A crucial part of that history is making sure that families are strong. Goodwill GoodGuides can help keep youth who are at risk get on the right path, away from trouble and toward a better future. That’s good for everyone involved.”
The overall goal of the program is to help youth build career plans and skills and prepare for school completion, post-secondary training and productive work by providing structured and supportive relationships with adult volunteer mentors.
The program targets youth between the ages of 12 and 17 who are least likely to have trusting relationships with adults due to a variety of risk factors such as failure in school due to poor grades or low attendance, or are at risk for delinquency due to issues such as abuse, disability, drug or alcohol dependence, family violence or gang membership.
“With Goodwill GoodGuides, we will be able to offer expanded mentoring services to the youth in our community,” said Thayer. “Goodwill will recruit, train and support volunteer mentors, who will commit nine months to engaging youth in promoting their career development and life skills through a supportive ear and guidance.”
Goodwill GoodGuides aims to ensure that the young people coming through the program will meet specific goals such as improved school attendance and behavior, the development of career choices and the acquisition of job skills.
The Goodwill GoodGuides program is made possible through a $19.1 million grant to Goodwill Industries International from the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Delinquency Prevention. The grant is dispersed to 56 independent Goodwill headquarter agencies in 38 states around the country. The funds come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
For more information, call Karen Phillips at 384-1361, ext. 4250.
For more than 60 years, Goodwill of North Florida has been a leader in helping people fulfill their dreams through work: dreams of independence, self-respect and the chance to succeed. For more information visit www.goodwilljax.org.
Prizes announced for pet walk and festival
Fundraisers participating in the Jacksonville Humane Society’s second annual Trail of Tails: Pet Walk & Festival will win a wide variety of prizes geared towards use at the First Coast’s beaches and parks.
Prizes for this year’s Trail of Tails: Pet Walk & Festival include a beach mat with inflatable pillow, a folding stool and cooler bag with steel frame, a folding nylon beach chair, a portable MP3 boombox, a folding picnic table, an iPod Touch and a Nintendo Wii with Wii Fit Plus.
“We are really excited to give out fundraising prizes well-suited for Jacksonville’s outdoor lifestyle and warm climate,” said Leona Sheddan, executive director of JHS. “People participating in this year’s Trail of Tails are not only winning great prizes for their fundraising efforts, they also get the satisfaction of helping provide medical care and shelter to the animals that call JHS their temporary homes.”
Trail of Tails: Pet Walk & Festival is Feb. 27 at Friendship Fountain Park Downtown. Trail of Tails kicks off at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a family-friendly festival.
Walkers can pre-register at www.jaxhumane.org. Entrance is $30 per person or $25 per person for people walking as part of a team. Animals may walk with their owners for free. Through www.firstgiving.com/jaxhumane, walkers can create sponsorship pages and invite friends to donate money for their walk.
Fundraising prizes are subject to change and based on money turned in before March 26. Participants earn the prize for each level raised. All proceeds from the Trail of Tails: Pet Walk & Festival benefit JHS. For more information visit www.jaxhumane.org.
The Jacksonville Humane Society was founded in 1885 and serves more than 4,000 animals each year. JHS is a non-profit, no-kill center for animal welfare and education that serves as a resource for all companion-animal related issues. The organization is dedicated to finding loving, permanent homes for animals by matching people with the pet that is right for them.
One-man play to benefit Sanctuary on 8th Street
Al Letson will perform his one-man play based on his experience as a summer camp volunteer at The Sanctuary on 8th Street as a benefit for the Springfield agency Jan. 30 at 7 p.m. at South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church at 2137 Hendricks Ave.
“You don’t just watch ‘Summer in Sanctuary’,” said Sanctuary on 8th Street Executive Director Vicky Watkins. “It’s something you feel. By sharing his experience of that summer, Al tells his own life story and the stories of the children he worked with while he was with us.”
Letson has performed “Summer in Sanctuary” around the country, including Off-Broadway in New York, where it will return for a three-week run later in 2010. In addition to his role as playwright, poet and actor, Letson also created and hosts NPR’s newest national radio show, “State of the Re:Union.”
Tickets for the play are $20 and include a reception with the artist following the performance. For tickets or more information, contact the Sanctuary at 356-3588 or e-mail [email protected].
Best known for its after school program and summer camp, the Sanctuary on 8th Street also offers a small home school for elementary and high school-age students where each receives scholastic support and enrichment activities. The staff and volunteers are committed to working with the kids to help them overcome their circumstances to make positive choices that will put them on the path to a productive future. Learn more about the Sanctuary at www.sanctuaryon8th.org.
Stein Mart supports clothing program
The Dignity U Wear Foundation, the Jacksonville-based, national nonprofit that provides brand new clothing to men, women and children in need, will be the beneficiary of a special promotional event planned for all 261 Stein Mart stores throughout the country, announced Robert S. Bryan Jr., executive director of Dignity U Wear.
Through Saturday, shoppers making a donation of $5 or more to Dignity U Wear will receive 10 percent off their entire purchase at Stein Mart.
“We piloted this promotion last year and found that our store associates and customers really enjoyed it,” said Julia Taylor, director of the Stein Mart Boutique Program and corporate coordinator of the DUW relationship. “This year we are expanding the promotion from two days to a full week to give our customers more opportunity to support our signature charity. It is a powerful way for us to serve each community where we do business.”
Stein Mart raised more than $155,000 for DUW with the same promotion last May.
“Dignity U Wear enjoys a unique philanthropic partnership with Stein Mart. Stein Mart’s active support has been largely responsible for our achievement of distributing $112 million worth of new clothing in less than 10 years,” said Bryan. “Each Stein Mart store not only raises money for DUW they also partner with us to identify social service agencies in their market to receive the new clothing. It’s an innovative model in which all parties benefit.”
Since 2003, Stein Mart has raised approximately $2.5 million to help fund Dignity U Wear. The funds raised will help Dignity U Wear to meet the growing demand for new clothing that improves self-esteem, fosters better school performance, helps adults with job placement and helps parents take better care of their families. Dignity U Wear distributes brand new clothing it receives from manufacturers and retailers through a network of nonprofit social service agencies throughout the United States.
For more information, visit www.dignityuwear.org.
Tournament tickets benefit City Rescue Mission
When you purchase tickets to the Jacksonville Open, you can designate City Rescue Mission as your charity of choice and the local homeless shelter will receive 100 percent of your ticket purchase.
Winn-Dixie is hosting the golf tournament as part of the Nationwide Tour with the PGA Tour Oct. 18-24 at the TPC Sawgrass Dye’s Valley Course. The Nationwide Tour is the proving ground for the PGA Tour. It will feature the 25 leading money winners who have earned PGA Tour status for 2011.
“The Jacksonville Open is great for people to watch their favorite golf players in person while helping the homeless and needy in Jacksonville,” said Patrick Hayle, executive director, City Rescue Mission. “We are honored to be part of such a phenomenal event and promotion held by Winn-Dixie. With the increasing need for support in our market, this is a way for people to make a donation while receiving something in return.”
Tickets are on sale now. A weekly grounds ticket costs only $25 with a 10-pack of weekly grounds tickets priced from $200. To order tickets, visit www.crmjax.org and click on “Jacksonville Open.”
City Rescue Mission is a non-profit, faith-based organization in downtown Jacksonville that has provided help to the homeless and needy in Jacksonville and Northeast Florida since 1946. In addition to providing emergency services for the homeless, they offer life-changing programs like the New Day Workforce and LifeBuilders to help homeless people get off the streets and back on their feet.
For more information about City Rescue Mission visit www.crmjax.org. For more information about the tournament visit www.winn-dixiejacksonvilleopen.com.