• Nancy Meding of the City’s Victim Services Center has received the governor’s Points of Light award for outstanding volunteer service. A court-trained volunteer victim advocate, Meding accompanies crime victims to court and is currently involved in 11 active cases.
• Janice Williams Donaldson has been named regional director of the Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida. Donaldson has served in a variety of positions with the Center for the last 20 years, most recently as program director. Donaldson’s responsibilities include managing the Center’s training and business assistance programs in 17-county service area and facilitating student and faculty involvement in the organization.
• Gate Petroleum presented a check for $55,000 to Florida Sunrise Big Brothers Big Sisters, Inc. during a ceremony Monday. The money was raised through Gate’s charity golf tournament.
• The FCCJ Downtown Campus Career Development Center will continue its free workshop series, beginning Jan. 15 with Conducting an Effective Career Search, presented by Cindy Dobelstein, college recruiting for the Chamber of Commerce. Others include Hot Jobs for the Technically Minded, Jan. 29, by FCCJ professor of computer programming Dr. John Trifiletti; Creative Careers for the Artist in You, Feb. 5; Federal Financial Aid ABCs, Feb. 19 and 27, by Downtown Campus Enrollment Services Coordinator Rosalind Harris, and Exploring Careers in Areas of Critical Need — Nursing and Education, April 9, by Cheryl James and Steve Piscitelli. Workshops meet from 12:30 -1:30 p.m. in Room 1018. All are free and open to the public. For information, call 633-5962.
• It’s a record for the Jacksonville Port Authority. For fiscal year 2001, which ended Sept. 30, the port handled 579,924 vehicles, which broke the record of 579,367 set in 1987 and is an eight percent increase over last year. More than 95 percent of the vehicles were new passenger cars and trucks.
• Junior Achievement has named Molly Lovett job shadow director and Kris Lay development director. Lovett will implement the job shadow program, which allows young people a hands-on workplace experience. Lay will be responsible for raising money for economic education and workforce preparation programs.
• The Grotto wine bar will hold a champagne tasting Thursday from 6-8 p.m. Cost is $10 per person.
• OPUS, the young professionals group of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra, will hold a pre-concert reception, including appetizers and a cash bar, at the Omni Saturday at 6 p.m. The party will then move across the street for the 8 p.m. performance of the JSO Holiday Pops concert at the T-U Center.