The Monique Burr Foundation for Children has awarded grants to six local nonprofit organizations with money raised from annual fundraisers, including its successful Jinglebells Golf Classic Tournament.
The funds, which total nearly $360,000, impact the lives of more than 8,500 Jacksonville children and support programs ranging from sexual abuse prevention to curriculum materials for children in the foster system.
“These dollars go a long way to help children in need,” said Barbara Florio, executive director of the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. “It is incredible to see the concrete way these grants will impact young lives in Jacksonville.”
LandMar Group, a local development firm with personal ties to the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, is a major contributor to the foundation and generates a large portion of the funds through several sponsored activities. The Jinglebells Golf Classic, an annual holiday golf tournament which attracts celebrity golfers and local community leaders, generated more than $300,000 in 2005. The event is scheduled again for this month and organizers anticipate a strong participation by PGA tour players. Funds for the grants also came from the foundation’s Holiday in the Hamptons fundraiser and auction, which also is organized by LandMar and its affiliated company, Hampton Golf. This year’s event was Dec. 10. An annual fundraiser and silent auction sponsored by and held at Roy’s restaurant in Jacksonville Beach, Holiday at the Hamptons also has grown to become one of the major fundraising vehicles for the foundation.
The Board of Directors of the Monique Burr Foundation voted unanimously to award the $360,000 grants to the six area organizations, said Dorcas G. Tanner, president and CEO of the foundation.
The foundation’s dollars will underwrite the cost of the curriculum materials for character building for children in the foster system at The Boys’ Home Association. At the Children’s Crisis Center, grants support two programs - the Good Touch Bad Touch program and the Monique Burr Child Safety Net Program. The Good Touch Bad Touch Program is a sexual abuse prevention program taught in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in area public and private schools, camps and after-school programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs. Last year, more than 13,500 children received training through the program. The Monique Burr Child Safety Net Program serves children who have been victims of abuse and their families.
At FreshMinistries, the grant funds a group of Monique Scholars-Interns who work directly with high-risk youth providing homework assistance, reading sessions, journaling and educational trips. The 40 scholars involved in the program receive college credit for their work through the University of North Florida. The Sanctuary on 8th Street will use the grant dollars for a summer camp program and participation in the Monique Kids Program. This program helps children with homework and includes a computer lab, sports, arts, Great Leaps Reading Curriculum, enrichment activities and field trips.
Triumph the Church and Kingdom of God in Christ will use the foundation dollars to fund the Monique’s Kids Program and Summer Camp, providing programming for more than 30 children six to 18 years old. The Monique’s Kids program works with these children through a reading and mentoring curriculum, also providing enrichment programs and community involvement opportunities.
The Monique Burr Foundation for Children was founded by LandMar Group CEO and President Ed Burr. The foundation works in partnership with agencies whose primary focus is preventing sexual abuse of children.
For more information about the Monique Burr Foundation for Children, call Barbara Florio at 642-0210 or visit www.moniqueburrfoundation.org.