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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.
Shuler named president of SHDC
Erakal Shuler, senior vice president of programs at Gateway Community Services, has been elected president of the Safe and Healthy Duval Coalition, a local organization committed to making positive change in Jacksonville. The coalition strives to make Jacksonville more sustainable by reducing the abuse of drugs and alcohol, decreasing gang activity, increasing neighborhood performance and creating a region of opportunity.
In her work at Gateway Community Services, Shuler oversees the clinical aspects of treating individuals with drug and alcohol dependency. She is actively involved in spiritual and religious organizations throughout the community focused on substance abuse, housing issues and HIV prevention and education.
A Certified Mental Health Professional, Shuler believes that all individuals have the potential to lead successful and fulfilling lives free of drugs, alcohol and violence. She places a strong emphasis on the importance of family and community.
“I am excited and honored to be elected president of Safe and Healthy Duval Coalition. I look forward to working with the board and within the community to make Jacksonville a safe place to live and raise a family,” said Shuler.
Gateway Community Services is a private, nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation agency committed to building a better community by taking action against addiction. It is Northeast Florida’s largest provider of rehabilitation and recovery services to those suffering from the disease of addiction.
Buy Jaguars tickets, help a nonprofit
The Nonprofit Center’s “Give and Go!” program offers Jaguars fans an opportunity to contribute to local nonprofits.
Football fans with a philanthropic desire can now take in a Jacksonville Jaguars football game and financially support their favorite nonprofit organization in Northeast Florida simply by purchasing tickets.
Nonprofits will be selling 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 partnership provides football fans an opportunity to support their team and their favorite organization. The sale of single-game regular-season Jaguars tickets will be announced later, making “Give and Go!” an opportunity to secure the most economical tickets to some of the season’s best match-ups.
Visit www.nonprofitctr.org and click on the “Give and Go!” badge to select your favorite nonprofit and your seats. Purchasing a ticket through the program 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.
Fans who purchase tickets through the program 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 bought 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, contact the Nonprofit Center at 390-4007 or visit www.nonprofitctr.org
Reeve Foundation supports equine program
Haven Horse Ranch has received a $3,000 Quality of Life grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The award was one of 89 grants totaling more than $500,000 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that aid in providing more opportunities, access and daily quality of life for individuals living with paralysis, their families, and caregivers. Since the program was developed in 1999 by the late Dana Reeve, more than 1,700 grants have been awarded, totaling $13 million.
Haven Horse Ranch will use the grant for its Equine Assisted Therapy Program.
“It was indeed an honor to be awarded this grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation,” says Ric Lehman, executive director of Haven Horse Ranch. “Not only will the funds be put to great use helping people here on the First Coast, but it is even greater that such a well respected national foundation determined that our programs were of such significance to support them.”
The Reeve Foundation’s Quality of Life grants are divided into three categories, Actively Achieving, Bridging Barriers and Caring and Coping. Some Quality of Life grants are funded through a cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations that address the needs of people living with paralysis caused by spinal cord and other injuries, diseases and birth conditions.
Sanctuary on 8th Street receives three-year grant
The Jim Moran Foundation has awarded a three-year grant to the Sanctuary on 8th Street to support the Springfield nonprofit’s after-school academic program. Under the terms of the grant, the Sanctuary will receive $22,000 each year through 2012.
“Through our partnership with The Sanctuary, we are reaching out to our next generation of leaders and providing them with the opportunities and confidence they need for brighter futures,” said Jan Moran, chair and president of The Jim Moran Foundation.
The Sanctuary typically has 45 children participating in an after-school program for teens and children, ages 5 to 17. The children receive supervised assistance with homework, one-on-one and small group tutoring services and access to computers with instruction available in a computer lab.
Founded by Jim Moran in 2000, the mission of The Jim Moran Foundation is to improve the quality of life for the youth and families of Florida through the support of innovative programs and opportunities that meet the ever-changing needs of the community.
Through a long-term grant agreement, the foundation’s significant funders are JM Family Enterprises Inc. and its subsidiaries, including Southeast Toyota Distributors LLC. To learn more about The Foundation visit www.jimmoranfoundation.org or call (954) 429-2122.
Women in Business Network partners with Girls Inc.
The women of Women in Business Network, the networking initiative of Shades of Pink Magazine, are teaming up with Girls Inc.
“Part of our mission as a community networking group is to give back to a local charity each month, or multiple charities throughout four chapters,” said Trudy Pascucci, founder and publisher of Shades of Pink Magazine. “We are collecting school supplies for the participants in Girls Inc.”
Girls Inc. of Jacksonville is a nonprofit organization begun in 1970 as the Girls Club of Jacksonville, a project of the Pilot Club. Girls Clubs changed their name to Girls Incorporated in 1990 on national and local levels. With a national vision of empowered girls in an equitable society, the mission of Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart and bold. Girls Inc. provides a vital education curriculum in after-school and summer programs.
Contribute by bringing any school supplies to any one of the four WIBN meetings in the month of August.
For additional information, contact Trudy Pascucci at 631-1662.
Golf tournament benefits Bernhardt Foundation
The Harvey Bernhardt Foundation will hold its third annual golf tournament sponsored by Fidelity National Financial on Sept. 13 at Deerwood Country Club. Honorary Chair David Lamm of Lamm at Large on AM-1010 will host the event.
The tournament offers corporations and individuals the opportunity to golf for a cause, and all tournament proceeds remain in North Florida and benefit the foundation’s efforts to assist community members.
The Harvey Bernhardt Foundation will use tournament proceeds to expand its holiday giving project as well as maintain its ongoing fund for special need cases that arise throughout the year. During the holidays, the foundation works with local nonprofit organizations to further their mission by identifying families in need of assistance.
“The project is a celebration of survival and perseverance by community members that have experienced hardship,” said foundation Chair Wes Bernhardt. “Through generous support year after year of corporate sponsors like Fidelity and other individual donors, The Harvey Bernhardt Foundation is successfully fulfilling our father’s vision to assist our neighbors living and working in North Florida.”
Tournament registration begins at 11:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. The event concludes with a reception and a $10,000 prize putting contest. Throughout the day, several other contests will take place, including a hole-in-one car giveaway, longest drive and closest to the pin.
Sponsorship opportunities and golf packages are available. Sponsorships range from $350 to $10,000. Individuals can sign up for $200 and four-person teams can sign up for $750, which includes lunch and a closing ceremony, as well as a gift package for each golfer.
More information about the tournament is available online at www.thecompassionateassist.org or by calling Monica Bernhardt at 386-5662.
The Harvey Bernhardt Foundation was founded in January 2007 after the sudden death of Dr. Harvey Bernhardt, a Jacksonville pathologist who served on many community boards and as a basketball coach for summer leagues for more than 20 years. Friends and family members carry out Dr. Bernhardt’s vision of assisting community members experiencing hardship.
The mission of The Harvey Bernhardt Foundation is to provide one-time financial assistance for hardship cases related to
medical or natural disaster or victims of crime. Beneficiaries must be community members living and working in North Florida and referred by a community leader.
For more information about The Harvey Bernhardt Foundation, visit www.thecompassionateassist.org.