from staff
As our community continues to face a tight economy and shrinking budgets, the Daily Record has established this page that will each week chronicle the efforts of local nonprofit organizations. Bailey Publishing & Communications invites all members of the local nonprofit community to submit news, announcements, success stories and any other information they feel would be of interest to our readers. E-mail to: [email protected].
We also encourage our readers to become more aware of the needs of these worthy organizations as they try to continue to provide valuable services with reduced resources.
Supporting the community one family at a time
Each day of the week, Community Connections Day Care Center provides a quality early learning experience in a loving environment for 65 homeless pre-school children while their parents are at work.
Through the Davis Center homeless housing program, the women in residence take classes on financial management and parenting while they juggle being parents and working often low paying jobs in the community. When they arrive at their Community Connections home in the evenings, many attend the Adult Basic Education Classes and GED classes, trying to better themselves educationally.
The women come from many diverse backgrounds that range from being victims of domestic violence to having been homeowners a year ago. Some arrived from extremely fragile economic situations that rendered them homeless with the chronic illness of a child.
Out in the greater community, Community Connections’ Northeast Florida Homeless Housing Programs extend the same services at more than 50 locations to families struggling to get back on their feet.
In 14 zip codes on Jacksonville’s Northside, Community Connections Healthy Families workers visit the homes of high risk mothers and teach young parents how to be the first and best teachers to their children. From prenatal care to entry into voluntary pre-kindergarten, these workers stay in regular contact with the families, assisting them along the way.
At 10 other sites throughout the city, Community Connections provides quality after school programs for almost 1,300 children, keeping them safe, offering tutoring and homework assistance, mentoring, arts, organized sports and anti-obesity programs. Nine of the sites are transformed each year into 10-week summer camp programs.
Like all other nonprofits, Community Connections raises money for operations of the programs through fundraisers each year. Annual campaigns include the Mardi Gras event in February and the Celebration of Leadership: a Tribute to Excellence.
This year the Tribute is Oct. 22 at the Omni Hotel. Mayor John Peyton will be presented with the Florence N. Davis Award for Community Achievement in recognition of his support of the nonprofit community and children’s initiatives. Information on the event can be found at www.communityconnectionsjax.org or by calling 350-9949.
Community Connections is also participating in the 2009 Birdies for Charity campaign through The Players Championship. More information on the Birdies Campaign can also be found at the Web site.
Celebrity chef event to benefit children
The Monique Burr Foundation for Children, a nonprofit organization dedicated to child abuse prevention and education, has announced its annual fundraising event is at 6 p.m. June 3 at Roy’s restaurant in Jacksonville Beach.
Guests are invited to join founder and chef Roy Yamaguchi and other celebrity chefs to celebrate the restaurant’s sixth anniversary and raise money to benefit the Monique Burr Foundation. Featuring Hawaiian fusion cuisine, fine wines and tropical drinks will satisfy the palate while guests enjoy entertainment throughout the evening. The event will feature hula dancing, fire dancing, music and exclusive shopping opportunities at select boutiques in Third Street Village.
“Our Roy’s fundraising event has become one of the most well-attended social events of the year and we encourage guests to purchase tickets early,” said Lynn Layton, executive director of the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. “All proceeds from the event will go to the foundation and our mission of preventing child abuse throughout the First Coast.”
Shops in Third Street Village participating in the Roy’s event, including Bonefish Grill, Emly Benham, Focus Fitness, Leila’s, Max & Company, Miriam’s Fine Jewelry, Mrs. Howard, Private Gallery, Rosenblum’s, Rosie True and Starbucks.
Sponsors for the event include PRI Productions, Southern Wine and Spirits, Clockwork Marketing Services and the Dalton Agency.
Tickets are $75 per person and space is limited. Reservations can be made online at www.moniqueburrfoundation.org or by calling Layton at 642-0210. More information is also available on Facebook.com by searching for the Monique Burr Foundation for Children.
The Monique Burr Foundation for Children was created as a nonprofit organization in 1997 to honor the late Monique Burr, a tireless advocate for children and their needs. The foundation’s mission is to provide hope in the lives of children by providing training and education to prevent and reduce the rate of abuse among children throughout Northeast Florida.
In 2008, the foundation reached more than 20,000 children with its advocacy programs including the Good Touch Bad Touch program and since its inception has donated more than $2 million to child-serving agencies in the region.
Currently, the foundation reaches children in 94 of the 107 public schools in Duval County in addition to several private and Catholic schools in the area. It is expanding its reach to include Baker, Clay, Nassau and St. Johns counties. The foundation also works in close partnership with agencies serving children whose primary focus is preventing abuse of children.
Cat Cabana at Humane Society gets new name
The State Farm Insurance Jacksonville Operations Center won naming rights to the Jacksonville Humane Society’s (JHS) Cat Cabana. The State Farm team raised $2,727, the most of any corporate team, in the Trail of Tails: Pet Walk & Festival Corporate Challenge, granting them the right to name the Cat Cabana.
“Our first annual Trail of Tails: Pet Walk & Festival was a huge success,” said Leona Sheddan, executive director of JHS. “We offered local companies the chance to enjoy some friendly competition, competing to win naming rights for three rooms at our animal education and adoption center.”
Jacksonville law firm Ford, Bowlus, Duss, Kenney, Safer & Hampton, P.A. raised $1,790, the second-highest amount. The firm will name the Puppy Room. Another local law firm, Brant, Abraham, Reiter, McCormick & Greene, P.A. will name the Cattery, coming in third with $1,770.
More than 1,000 people attended JHS’s first-ever Trail of Tails: Pet Walk & Festival Feb. 28. The event raised more than $120,000 for JHS.
The Jacksonville Humane Society, founded in 1885, serves more than 4,000 animals each year. JHS is a non-profit center for animal welfare and education that serves as a resource to the community for all companion-animal related issues. The organization is dedicated to finding loving, permanent homes for animals by matching people with the pet that is right for them.