Community Health Outreach commemorated the 20th anniversary of former NASA astronaut and Jacksonville resident Dr. Norman Thagard’s return to Earth from the Russian Mir 18 mission.
The event honoring Thagard was part of a fundraising effort for the Healing Hands Clinic. Community Health Outreach recently opened the only free dental facility for the nearly 200,000 qualified, low-income adults in Duval County.
Thagard, a physician, is a supporter of providing free dental and medical services to those who cannot afford them.
“I was happy to support the Healing Hands Clinic because it performs the same service that the clinic in North Carolina does that I also support,” he said.
During his visit, Thagard was honored at a luncheon and was the keynote speaker later that evening.
A member of the Astronaut Hall of Fame and an associate dean at Florida State University, Thagard shared his experiences as a medical doctor, U.S. Marine Corps aviator and NASA astronaut. A veteran of five space flights, he has logged more than 140 days in space and was the first American cosmonaut/researcher for the Russian Mir 18 mission. The mission culminated in a landing at the Kennedy Space Center in the space shuttle Atlantis on July 7, 1995.
Thagard is a graduate of Paxon School for Advanced Studies (then Paxon High School) and the road in front is named “Norman E. Thagard Boulevard.”
For information on funding opportunities at the clinic, or to download a questionnaire, please visit chojax.org/healing-hands-clinic.
Walmart customers donate $54,000 to food bank
Walmart announced Jacksonville residents donated more than $54,000 to Feeding Northeast Florida.
Through Walmart’s “Fight Hunger, Spark Change” campaign, customers made donations in Walmart stores and online. Nationwide, the campaign raised more than $10 million to support Feeding America and its affiliate food banks.
Customers could help the cause by making a donation or by purchasing select products from Campbell’s, ConAgra Foods, General Mills, Kellogg Co., Kraft and Unilever.
In addition, the public participated in a social media challenge. Customers were asked to take a picture of six friends who share their commitment to fight hunger and post a public picture on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #WeSparkChange.
For each post, Walmart donated $10 to Feeding America on behalf of its affiliate food banks.
One in six people in America will struggle with hunger at some point during the year, according to the USDA. Across Northeast Florida, about 322,000 people face hunger.
Feeding Northeast Florida distributes food to people who struggle to feed themselves and their families in 17 Northeast Florida counties through a network of more than 170 nonprofit, faith-based and charitable organizations.
To donate, volunteer or find out more about eliminating hunger in Northeast Florida, visit feedingnefl.org or call (904) 513-1333.
National Philanthropy Day luncheon Nov. 17
The Association of Fundraising Professionals Florida First Coast Chapter has scheduled its annual National Philanthropy Day luncheon Nov. 17 at the Hyatt Regency Riverfront.
Awards will be presented for outstanding civic organization, corporation, foundation, fundraising/development professional, volunteer fundraiser, young professional organization and youth in philanthropy.
More than 600 guests are expected to attend the National Philanthropy Day luncheon, which will begin with a reception at 11 a.m. followed by the program at noon. Early tickets are available for $60 per person through Sept. 30 at afpflfirstcoast.afpnet.org.
$2.4M grant for North Florida Land Trust
North Florida Land Trust is a step closer to acquiring Bogey Creek Preserve. The trust’s application for a grant from the Florida Communities Trust program was one of only a few to be approved for funding by the state since 2011.
Under the grant, the state will pay 80 percent of the cost of the property, up to $2.4 million. The land trust will fund the remaining 20 percent.
The Edward F. Hicks family recently donated $100,000 to the organization which will be used toward the purchase of a 79-acre property from the Spencer and McGehee families.
The donation from the Hicks family moves the project closer to the estimated $400,000 needed to obtain all 85 acres of the property on Clapboard and Bogey creeks, neighboring Pumpkin Hill Creek Preserve State Park and the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve.
The property is a matrix of maritime hammock forest, cypress swamps and pine and oak forest.
The organization will build parking access on Sheffield Road, two miles of public walking trails with a footbridge and wildlife overlooks, a picnic area, two kayak launches and signage explaining the ecosystem and areas of the property.
North Florida Land Trust is a nonprofit that serves as an advocate of land conservation in Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam, and St. Johns counties. It was founded in 1999 and has protected thousands of acres of environmentally significant land.
The trust is funded primarily by private and corporate contributions and works with private landowners and public agencies at all levels of government, not-for-profit partners and foundations.
For more information, visit northfloridalandtrust.org.
A second chance for young offenders
It can be tough for a young person to find a job, especially if he or she has had a brush with the law.
FreshMinistries and Career Source Northeast Florida are working with the state Department of Juvenile Justice to open doors for adjudicated youth and get them into paid internships.
The program is open to Duval County youth ages 17-19 who are under supervision of the juvenile justice system in out-of-home placement, on probation or parole. They cannot have been convicted of a crime as an adult.
“We will provide training for these young people and then take steps to make sure they are employed for six-week internships with local companies,” said Michelle Hughes, director of urban initiatives for FreshMinistries.
The program seeks up to 100 people to begin job-readiness training immediately, with job placement to begin before the end of August.
FreshMinistries also is seeking employer partners for the program who are willing to hire students for six weeks with no cost to the employer.
With funding from Career Source, FreshMinistries will cover the hourly minimum wage for each employee in the program.
FreshMinistries, a Jacksonville-based nonprofit, launched the Fresh Path program in January, targeting court-involved individuals ages 14-24. This additional program is specifically for ages 17-19, and participants are eligible to take part in the year-round Fresh Path program if they choose.
For more information, call (904) 854-6770, ext. 3.