The spirit of the Age of Aquarius will echo at the 21st Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance on March 13 when Janis Joplin’s Porsche 356C 1600 SC anchors the Porsche 356 class.
Joplin bought the car, pictured above, used in 1968 for $3,500. It’s the final version of the “C” model, sold from 1964-65, the time of the arrival of the Porsche 911.
She used all 90-horsepower blasting around Los Angeles, showing off the unmistakable paint job applied by one of her band’s roadies.
After her death in 1970, Joplin’s family inherited the Porsche and used it as a daily driver. In 1995, they loaned the Porsche to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, where it remained for nearly 20 years.
Since 1996, the classic auto show’s foundation has donated over $2.75 million to Community Hospice of Northeast Florida, Spina Bifida of Jacksonville, the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, Shop With a Cop and other local charities.
The 21st annual Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance is March 11-13. For more information, visit ameliaconcours.org.
Democrats, Republicans pitch in on hunger issue
Duval County political party leaders joined Feeding Northeast Florida executives for the Jan. 22 launch of “The Campaign to End Hunger” at the regional food bank’s food distribution center.
Lake Ray, chairman of the Republican Party of Duval County, was joined by Duval Democratic Party Chairman Neil Henrichsen to support Feeding Northeast Florida’s effort to raise awareness about hunger and support the agency’s goal to double the size of its distribution center in 2016.
Of those served by Feeding Northeast Florida, 20 percent are veterans, 15 percent are seniors, 20 percent have some type of disability and many make choices daily between paying for food or paying for housing or health care.
The food bank distributed more than 21 million pounds of food in 2015. The projected need through December is 40 million pounds.
Henrichsen and Ray urged the community to visit campaigntoendhunger.org to sign an online petition to join the effort.
Donors can find bumper stickers, buttons, T-shirts and yard signs to show their support for the campaign.
Similar to a political campaign, supporters also will be encouraged to volunteer or host campaign house parties to raise awareness about hunger in Northeast Florida and to collect food and funds to support the effort.
Having reduced the cost of distributing a pound of food by more than 57 percent during the past 18 months, Feeding Northeast Florida President and CEO Luke Layow said the agency will continue to focus on the implementation of a “hub-and-spoke” distribution model to serve the area’s food pantries more effectively.
For more information, or to get involved, contact Michelle Barth at (904) 930-4024 or [email protected].
PAL using mobile unit to reach at-risk kids
Mobile PAL is an initiative started this past summer by the Police Athletic League to foster positive relationships between youth and police officers.
Police officers load the Mobile PAL bus and visit apartment complexes that are plagued with violence. Officers engage children in sports activities, provide lunch and leave the children with positive impressions of police officers.
Police officers and McGruff the Crime Dog visited Brentwood Elementary School to read to kindergarten students during the school’s Celebrity Reader Day.
It is PAL’s mission to enrich the lives of children by creating positive relationships between law enforcement officers and youth through educational, athletic and leadership programs. PAL offers services to more than 2,200 Jacksonville children annually.
For more information, visit jaxpal.com or call (904) 854-6555.
UNF sorority supports Guardian ad Litem
On Jan. 13, representatives from the University of North Florida chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority presented a $6,000 donation to child-advocacy charity Guardian ad Litem.
The money was raised from the sorority’s Kicks for CASA kickball tournament and other events held last fall.
Kappa Alpha Theta also brought five boxes of school supplies, donated by Staples, for the 4th Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem program to distribute to students in Clay, Nassau and Duval counties’ court dependency system.
Dreams Come True seeking sponsors
A theme park trip, a shopping spree, a vacation to a far-away city, a puppy and a horseback ride.
Those are just a few of the 75 dream requests made by children in North Florida who are facing life-threatening illnesses.
To make their dreams a reality this year, Dreams Come True of Jacksonville has launched its 2016 Dream Campaign and is asking for pledges to fund requests from 75 “Dreamers.”
Since Jan. 1, 11 local companies have supported 13 Dreamers. They include EverBank, FIS, Jax Refrigeration, The Haskell Co., and law firms, Pajcic & Pajcic and Foley & Lardner.
Each dream has an average expense of $3,000. All money donated goes to fulfill a child’s dream.
Corporations, small businesses, individuals and community organizations are needed to pledge support for one or more “Dreamers” now through June 30.
Funds can be given as a corporate donation or they can be raised by forming teams and participating in online and in-person fundraising activities.
To pledge your support, contact [email protected] or xall (904) 296-3030.
Justice Coalition breakfast Feb. 18
The Justice Coalition’s 14th annual Together We Can Campaign Breakfast begins at 6:45 a.m. Feb. 18 at First Baptist Church of Jacksonville at 125 W. Ashley St.
CSX is again the presenting sponsor of the breakfast.
State Attorney Angela Corey, Sheriff Mike Williams and other law enforcement officials from Northeast Florida will attend.
The family of 20-year-old Daniel Rowe will be speaking. He was murdered in July outside a restaurant in Riverside.
Rowe worked as a busboy at The Blind Rabbit and was taking out the trash when police say two suspects shot him. No arrests have been made in the case.
Sponsorship opportunities are available for the breakfast at the platinum, gold, silver or bronze level.
Contact the Justice Coalition at (904) 783-6312 to become a sponsor or visit justicecoalition.org. Individual tickets may be purchased for $25 each.
The annual breakfast is a benefit for the Justice Coalition to support its mission of assisting innocent victims of violent crimes.