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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.
Blue Foundation recognizes Beaches Community Healthcare
December marks the first anniversary of The Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless, Beaches Community Healthcare, Jacksonville Beach.
To recognize the impact the organization has already made on the lives of homeless and working poor people who live in Atlantic, Neptune and Jacksonville beaches, The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida awarded the organization with $25,000 during its annual Sapphire Awards.
Established in 2005, The Sapphire Award recognizes and rewards nonprofit community health programs that have demonstrated success and high merit and have a record of improving the health of their community through measurable outcomes.
“These small, large and grassroots organizations play a huge role in bettering the health and well-being of their community members who need help the most,” said Susan Towler, vice president of The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida. “The ways they accomplish their goals should serve as models for similar nonprofits across the state and country.”
To be eligible for The Sapphire Award, organizations must be tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the federal tax code; officially reside and be incorporated in the state of Florida; and have programs that are involved with health-related services. Programs are nominated by three persons familiar with the organization and are reviewed by an independent selection committee made up of medical, public health and health communication experts from across the country and Florida.
The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida is a separate, philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida.
For more information on The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida visit www.bluefoundationfl.com.
Hospice lighting Tree of Life
The lighting of the 2009 Tree of Life featuring 59,000 lights that each represent the life of a person that Community Hospice has cared for in its 30-year history is Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Earl B. Hadlow Center for Caring on Sunbeam Road.
Free and open to the public, the evening’s festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. with refreshments, carriage rides and holiday entertainment offered until 7 p.m.
The lighting of the Tree of Life also will include a special Candlelight Service of Remembrance to celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed away. Attendees are invited to bring a picture of a loved one to display on the memory tables.
For a donation of $25 to the Community Hospice Foundation, a ribbon with a loved one’s name will be placed on the Tree of Life. A donation of $50 or more includes a handcrafted porcelain ornament keepsake. The event, featuring a Candlelight Service of Remembrance, offers an opportunity to celebrate the lives of loved ones at the holidays.
Avenues Mall hosts fundraiser
Saturday 400 walkers and people using wheelchairs and scooters will participate in the first MDA Stride & Ride to benefit local individuals and families coping with muscular dystrophy and related progressive muscle diseases.
The Avenues Mall is the title sponsor of the event which will raise funds to support the research, services, advocacy and information programs of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Other sponsors include ABS, Wheelchairs Plus, and Krispy Kreme Donuts.
The event also features music, face painting and live entertainment.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. inside the Avenues Mall in front of Dillard’s and the short victory walk will begin at 9 a.m.
Jacksonville MDA Executive Directors Brittany Lara and Lauren Herringdine note, “Stride & Ride brings the community together for a worthwhile cause. It’s a great opportunity to have fun and spend time with friends while helping others.”
Individuals and teams are encouraged to raise at least $85 in donations, the cost of one minute of MDA research.
For more information about the MDA Stride & Ride event, visit www.joinmda.org/walkcy09.
Auto dealer collects food for homeless
For 53 days Mike Davidson Ford collected more than 15 pounds a food a day for a total of more than 800 pounds of food for City Rescue Mission.
“We are so thankful for Mike Davidson Ford’s commitment and donation, as well as everyone in the community who contributed to the food drive,” said Patrick Hayle, executive director, City Rescue Mission. “There is a bigger need than ever in our community for food. The number of people in need continues to grow and we will be able to provide support to a lot more people with their donation.”
The donated food will fill the food shelves at City Rescue Mission to feed the hungry, needy and homeless at the New Life Inn. The number of meals that City Rescue Mission serves continues to increase each month.
“We thank First Transit, Jacksonville University and Sandalwood High School for their support of the Fill an F-150 Food Drive,” said Rob Henry, general manager, Mike Davidson Ford. “We are extremely honored to work with an awesome organization like the City Rescue Mission.”
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.
Inaugural JDRF walk in Clay County
The First Annual Winter Walk to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s North Florida Chapter is at the Oakleaf Town Center (9625 Crosshill Blvd. in Orange Park) Saturday at 9 a.m.
The Winter Walk benefits “Kaylin’s Kure” and “Trin’s Troopers,” two teams raising money for JDRF’s “Walk To Cure Diabetes” next spring.
“Kaylin’s Kure” is named after Kaylin Hoffmann of Middleburg, a type 1 diabetic since age 2. Her younger sister Trinity will also be honored at the event, as she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as recently as a few weeks ago. The Hoffmanns do not have any family history of the disease.
Kaylin was selected in 2006 to participate in a study involving a continuous glucose monitor called the “Navigator.” This device, which checked her blood sugar and then sent the information to a monitor made a tremendous difference in Kaylin’s life. The Navigator is the first step in the development of the JDRF Artificial Pancreas Project, which may revolutionize diabetes management altogether.
The Hoffmann family dedicates much of their time and effort to fundraising. Proceeds from the Winter Walk will directly support JDRF’s mission of finding a cure through research. Not only do the Hoffmanns want to support their daughters by finding a cure, but they hope to positively impact others in the local community and beyond who are experiencing the complications of diabetes.
Registration for the Winter Walk is $25 for participants 13 and older. Children 12 and under are welcomed free of charge. In addition to family fun, the walk offers t-shirts, food and beverages. Visit www.active.com to register.