The Florida Pancreas Cancer Coalition presented a $40,000 donation to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville to help support pancreas cancer research.
The organization’s mission is to invest in local pancreas cancer research. The disease affects all demographic groups and 85 percent of those diagnosed will die within six months. Of the remaining 15 percent, only one-third survive longer than four years.
For more information, visit flpcc.org.
Merry Christmas for children from Salvation Army
The Salvation Army in Jacksonville distributed Christmas gifts to the families of nearly 4,000 children through this year’s Angel Tree program, sponsored by Ashley Homestores, WFOX TV-30 and WJAX TV-47.
The children are from families who applied for holiday assistance from The Salvation Army in October and demonstrated financial hardship.
Individuals, businesses and church groups “adopted” the children by picking up Angel Tree tags at Ashley Homestores and The Avenues mall. They then purchased gifts to match the age, needs and wishes of each child.
“Seeing families receive Christmas gifts through Angel Tree that they would not otherwise be able to provide for their children is one of the most powerful things The Salvation Army does at Christmas time,” said Northeast Florida Area Commander Rob Vincent.
Ability Housing gets $150,000 from Florida Blue Foundation
Ability Housing of Northeast Florida received a $150,000 grant from the Florida Blue Foundation to support The Solution That Saves, a statewide pilot program led by Ability.
It will develop Florida-specific data on the impacts of providing permanent supportive housing to high utilizers of crisis services.
Specifically, the pilot will evaluate the health and quality-of-life impacts on the people served as well as the utilization of publicly funded systems of care.
The program will serve more than 70 adults who:
• Have very low incomes
• Suffer from chronic behavioral and/or physical health conditions
• Are high utilizers of crisis health services
• Are experiencing chronic homelessness, in persistent housing crises or are unnecessarily housed in institutional settings.
Pilot participants will receive access to stable housing, adequate health care and obtainment of public benefits such as Social Security and Medicaid, along with case management services and transportation to access care.
For more information, visit abilityhousing.org, like the organization on Facebook (facebook.com/abilityhousing) and follow Ability Housing on Twitter (@Ability_Housing).
Local students receive scholarships
The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans announced the 12 recipients of the 2015 Dennis R. Washington Achievement Graduate Scholarship.
Two recipients are local students: Zoe Carr, who attends the University of North Florida, and Pioneer Winter, who is studying at Jacksonville University.
The group is a nonprofit educational organization honoring the achievements of outstanding individuals and encouraging young people to pursue their dreams through higher education.
Endowed in 2008 and funded by the Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation, the scholarships provide financial assistance to alumni recipients of Horatio Alger National and State Scholarships who aspire to obtain graduate degrees.
Since its inception, the foundation has donated more than $199 million to charitable causes. Scholarship applicants must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and have demonstrated leadership experience, integrity and perseverance in overcoming personal adversity.
They should also exhibit entrepreneurial and leadership skills and a passion for community service.
Founded in 1947, the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is dedicated to the belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles.
The association honors the achievements of outstanding leaders who have accomplished remarkable successes in spite of adversity by bestowing upon them the Horatio Alger Award and inducting them as lifetime members.
The association awards more than $11 million annually in undergraduate and graduate need-based scholarships to students in the United States and Canada and provides college support and mentoring services.
Since 1984, the association has awarded $110 million in college scholarships to more than 22,000 deserving young people.
For more information, visit horatioalger.org.