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Highlighting Jacksonville’s Philanthropic Community
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 believe 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.
Kelly named executive director at Dreams Come True
Dreams Come True, the only locally based nonprofit organization that fulfills the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses, announces the appointment of Jimmy Kelly as executive director. He will join the organization July 19.
Kelly has been the director of development for daniel the past four years. He is a native of Jacksonville and attended Robert E. Lee High School and the University of Florida, where he majored in U.S. history.
He serves on the West Jacksonville Rotary board, the Jacksonville University Athletic Association board and the Florida First Coast Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals board.
“We look forward to welcoming Jimmy to Dreams Come True,” said David DeLuca, president of the Dreams Come True board of directors. “His fundraising experience, strong management skills and dedication to children make him an excellent candidate to lead our organization into the future.”
In addition, Lauren Weedon Hopkins, interim executive director and director of development of Dreams Come True, will become associate director on July 19.
Founded in 1984, Dreams Come True has made dreams a reality for more than 2,600 children in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Dreams Come True directs 100 percent of all donations, unless otherwise specified, to the dreams of children battling life-threatening illnesses. For more information about Dreams Come True, visit www.dreamscometrue.org or call 296-3030.
Grocer supports spay and neuter programs
First Coast No More Homeless Pets Inc. received $1,489.50 from Native Sun Natural Foods Market’s GreenApples Charity Program.
On May 22, Native Sun in Mandarin held the Second Annual Charity Dog Wash benefiting FCNMHP. Volunteers washed more than 50 dogs and brought in $865 in just four hours.
The Native Sun Natural Foods Market’s GreenApples Charity chose FCNMHP to be its Charity of the Month and collected donations at each register during May, raising another $624.50. The funds will be used toward free spay and neuter programs to reduce the number of unwanted births of dogs and cats, reducing the pet overpopulation.
The mission of FCNMHP is to end the needless killing of cats and dogs through free or low-cost spay and neuter surgeries.
Since 2001, more than 70,000 dogs and cats have been sterilized and benefited from these programs. There has been a 43 percent reduction in shelter admissions and the euthanasia rate has decreased from more than 26,000 deaths in 2001 to 11,000 in 2009.
Visit www.fcnmhp.org for more information.
‘Give and Go!’ program offers Jaguars fans an opportunity to give to nonprofits
Football fans with a philanthropic desire can take in a Jacksonville Jaguars football game and financially support their favorite nonprofit in Northeast Florida.
The Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida, the Jacksonville Jaguars and WeGive.org partnered to help Northeast Florida nonprofits raise funds through the sale of Jaguars football tickets. The partnership is called “Give and Go!”
Local nonprofits will sell Jaguars tickets from $40-$50, and for every ticket sold through the organization’s website, up to $20 will be donated back to that organization.
The general sale of single tickets for regular season home games will not be available until August, making Give and Go! an opportunity to secure tickets to some of the season’s best match-ups.
Participating nonprofit organizations will have a Give and Go! badge on their websites, social media posts, e-newsletters or blogs to guide Jaguars fans in purchasing the tickets.
Buying a ticket through Give and Go! on a participating nonprofit organization’s website will automatically donate $10 to that organization.
Also, if that same organization has a project listing on WeGive.org, the donation will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling the impact of the program.
“This program is certainly the first of its kind for the nonprofit sector of Northeast Florida,” said Rena Coughlin, president and CEO of the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.
“We always seek out opportunities to provide the greatest amount of good to our community and the Give and Go! program is a tremendous example of a collaboration that will provide a certain benefit to our community,” she said.
Fans who purchase tickets through Give and Go! are eligible for a tax deduction of $10 per ticket. For the first 2,000 tickets sold, an anonymous donor has agreed to contribute an additional $10 to the participating organization. Tickets purchased at least four business days before the selected home game will be mailed to purchasers. All other tickets will be available at will-call for pickup the day of the game.
For more information, visit www.nonprofitctr.org and click on the Give and Go! badge.
School supplies and backpacks needed
Lennar Homes is hosting a backpack drive this summer to collect school supplies and backpacks for children in Northeast Florida. With the support of the Boselli Foundation, Lennar Homes will distribute the supplies to children in low-income areas through community centers.
Donors can drop off school supplies at any Lennar model through July 31.
“Many children go to school without any of the basic supplies – pencils, backpacks, notebooks,” said Barbara Moore, Lennar Homes division president. “To ensure they are getting the most of their education, we need to give them these supplies. These children are our future, and we need to help them as much as we can.”
Backpacks are needed for more than 200 children who are assisted by the Boselli Foundation. Families are encouraged to create backpack supply kits filled with essential supplies for the school day, or they can donate individual items.
“Everyone has some leftover school supplies in the back of a cupboard from last year that haven’t been touched,” said Moore. “Whether it’s a notebook, a pack of pencils or a backpack stuffed with items, your donation is important.”
Fundraiser for breast cancer survivors
Celebrate National Friendship Day by honoring a special friend while helping others you don’t even know.
Through July 31, individuals can visit www.ItTakes2Jax.com and make a donation in the name of a friend. Funds raised through the campaign will benefit Bosom Buddies, a program of the Women’s Center of Jacksonville. Bosom Buddies provides a range of free support services to help breast cancer survivors and those in treatment.
The names of donors and their “buddies” will be listed in a special section of The Florida Times-Union published Aug. 1 on National Friendship Day. Donors can also choose to upload a photo and short friendship story, which will appear on a friendship wall on www.ItTakes2Jax.com.
“Supportive friends like the ones found at Bosom Buddies are so important to helping people through the hard times,” said Bosom Buddies founder Bobbi de Cordova-Hanks. “Through It Takes Two, we can all celebrate the value of our friendships while supporting the fight against breast cancer.”
Bosom Buddies programs include weekly support group meetings for survivors and those in treatment, along with free educational materials, wigs and prosthetics and free community education presentations.
Visit www.ItTakes2Jax.com to learn more and to donate. Donations also are being accepted at It Takes Two sponsor locations, including Jacksonville Sunbeam Autobody and Among the Flowers in St. Augustine.