Staff Writer
Annual fundraiser features diamonds and chocolate
Over $15,000 raised for Family Nurturing Center
Sweet treats were offered up Thursday to support a cause that provides a stable environment for children in foster care to meet with their parents and also provides educational opportunities to help adults become better parents.
The seventh annual “Taste of Chocolate Challenge” featured chocolate creations from Chef Phillip Brown and Culinard, the Culinary Institute of Virginia College; Edgewood Bakery, Heavenly Chocolate Creations and Kilwin’s Chocolate. The chocolate covered bacon from Heavenly Chocolate Creations was a unique item that most of the event’s approximately 200 attendees sought out and helped earn the chocolatier the people’s choice award at the challenge.
“It’s a fairly popular item at our store,” said Renee Livengood, Heavenly owner. “A lot of people are curious to try it, and they really like the combination of salty and sweet.”
The chocolate wasn’t the only benefit of attending the charity event. A silent auction offered 42 items for guests to bid on and a live auction gave guests chances to bid on a private dinner for six prepared by Chef Phillip, a week stay at a Crescent Beach Condo and a week stay at a Mountain Lake cabin.
The event helped raise over $15,000 for FNC, which was the idea of retired Judge Dorothy Pate. The program began in 1993 as the Family Visitation Center after Pate was moved to act after hearing frequent complaints from parents who were not being allowed to see their children who had been placed in foster care. This led to the development of a facility that was the first of its kind in Florida. Representatives from the Department of Children, the Children’s Home Society and the Junior League of Jacksonville met with Judge Pate to discuss a new concept called “supervised visitation.” Since that meeting, FNC has grown to include three programs at four locations and changed its name to reflect its commitment to improving the lives of families throughout Northeast Florida.
That growth continued recently as the headquarters of FNC was moved from Riverside to the Lillian Saunders Center on Bartley Circle in the City’s Spring Park area.
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