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.
Renovations at independent living facility
Kim Jackson was one of the first daniel kids to enter daniel’s Project Prepare program 25 years ago. She helped daniel celebrate the award-winning program when she cut the ribbon on daniel’s newly renovated Independent Living Village at 1526 Parental Home Road.
Jackson put herself into foster care in 1985 to escape an abusive and unsettled family situation. While enrolled in Project Prepare, she and five other teens selected for the startup program learned fundamental life skills and how to take responsibility for their futures. Jackson manages a Starbucks restaurant and enjoys raising her two children with her husband of 21 years.
“If I hadn’t found daniel at age 16, I’m not sure where I would be now,” said Jackson. “Without the nurturing, attentive care that I got from the counselors and daniel staff, I’m sure I wouldn’t have developed the life skills on which to build a successful life like I have.”
Project Prepare is daniel’s independent living program for homeless teens. Services include residency at daniel’s Independent Living Village, mental health counseling, independent living skills instruction and up to two years of professional case management. The program’s goal is to transition teens from a state of homelessness to economic independence.
The Independent Living Village renovations Jackson helped rededicate were made possible by donations from The Players Championship volunteer group. The group raised $10,000 through its Mission: IMPACT initiative, which was matched by the PGA Tour. Reigning Players champion Henrik Stenson and his wife, Emma, were moved by stories like Jackson’s and donated another $10,000.
In addition, during the Tour’s “Giving Back Week,” volunteers and 10-time PGA Tour winner and Jacksonville native Mark McCumber re-landscaped the grounds around the Independent Living Village. Hyatt Regency employees painted all the rooms in the facility.
The North Florida Frozen and Refrigerated Foods Association also showed its support by arranging for ice cream donations for the event from Blue Bell and Edy’s. Association member Teri Amthor of Acosta Sales & Marketing presented each Project Prepare teen with $100 of coupons for frozen foods and a bag filled with toiletries.
Brooks Rehabilitation donates to Doctors Without Borders
As the immediate emergency phase in Haiti is ending after the earthquake in January, the nation’s rehabilitation is just beginning. At this stage of recovery, Brooks Rehabilitation is supporting the efforts of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) with a $50,000 contribution.
“We wanted to find a way to help the people of Haiti in a way that would be true to our mission of advancing the health and well-being of persons requiring rehabilitation. We feel Doctors Without Borders/MSF shares the same values and wanted to support them in their ongoing efforts,” said Doug Baer, president and CEO of Brooks.
In emergencies such as the earthquake in Haiti, MSF provides essential health care, rehabilitates and runs hospitals and clinics, performs surgery, responds to epidemics, carries out vaccination campaigns, operates feeding programs for malnourished children and offers mental health care.
As other health providers start to leave the country, MSF is expanding its capacity to deliver extensive postoperative services, including secondary surgeries, medical follow-up, physical therapy and mental healthcare for at least the next several months.
Serving patients for more than 35 years, Brooks serves Florida and Southeast Georgia through a network of more than 25 outpatient centers and an established home health services division, which provides post-acute services. For more information, visit www.brookshealth.org.
Roy’s Restaurant event to benefit Monique Burr Foundation
Tickets are on sale for the Roy’s Restaurant fundraising event, “A Night in the Village,” to benefit the Monique Burr Foundation for Children. The event is scheduled at 6 p.m. April 29 at Roy’s Restaurant in Jacksonville Beach. Tickets are $75 each and include entrance to the fundraising and social event, dinner featuring Hawaiian cuisine from Chef Roy Yamaguchi, fine wines and tropical drinks.
There also will be live entertainment, including hula dancing, fire dancing, music, a fashion show and shopping opportunities in Third Street Village.
An auction includes a dinner party for eight by chef Yamaguchi; a seven-day stay in Treasure Cay in the Bahamas; and a private cooking class for 10 with Roy’s executive chef. Additional live and silent auction items will be available.
“Tickets to last year’s event sold out quickly and we expect more than 500 guests this year, so I encourage those who want to attend to secure their reservation soon,” said Lynn Layton, executive director of the Monique Burr Foundation, whose mission is to provide hope in the lives of children by providing child-abuse prevention education.
“In addition to everything going on at Roy’s, our guests will also have the chance to visit the shops in Third Street Village, which will extend their hours for this event,” she said.
For more information, visit www.moniqueburrfoundation.org or call 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, an advocate for children. 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.
Last year, the foundation reached more than 25,000 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 105 of the 107 public elementary 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 with agencies whose primary focus is preventing abuse of children.
Riders raise money for Dreams Come True
With trucks and horse trailers packing the Diamond D Ranch on the Westside, hundreds of supporters turned out March 13 for the Westside Wranglers 4-H Horse Club’s annual Tessa Godwin Memorial Super Ride. The event raised more than $11,500 to benefit Dreams Come True, the First Coast’s only locally based nonprofit organization dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of children battling life-threatening illnesses.
Since 2003, the Westside Wranglers 4-H Horse Club has hosted the ride, created in memory of a dream recipient who died of leukemia, to benefit Dreams Come True. The event raises funds to sponsor dreams of local children who are battling life-threatening illnesses.
Tessa’s dream was a miniature horse that she named Tonka Toy. Nine months after receiving her dream, Tessa lost her battle with leukemia. Tonka Toy is brought by Tessa’s family to every Super Ride and provides rides to the children who attend.
Founded in 1984, Dreams Come True has fulfilled dreams for nearly 2,600 children in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. All donations, unless otherwise specified, go directly to the dreams of children battling life-threatening illnesses. For more information, call 296-3030 or visit www.dreamscometrue.org.
Foundation helps seniors in need
The Sontag Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to the Senior Life Foundation for 2010 and a $10,000 matching grant for 2011 to support its efforts to help low-income Duval County senior citizens in emergency situations.
The Senior Life Foundation was established in 2000 to improve the quality of life for low-income seniors by helping them remain self-sufficient in their homes. It serves those who are more than 60 years old, live in their own home or apartment and have a monthly income of $1,000 or less.
“We are an entirely volunteer organization with no paid staff and because our funding comes totally from private sources, we are able to quickly respond to a crisis situation, often on the same day a request is made,” said foundation President Mari Terbrueggen. For more information, call 268-9128 or visit www.seniorlifejax.com.
Tournament raises funds for lifeguards
The 12th Annual “Fishbait Thompson” Charity Golf Classic will be April 5 at Hidden Hills Country Club. The event is named for World War II veteran William Thompson, who was known as “Fishbait” during his years of service with the American Red Cross Volunteer Lifesaving Corps. The corps will benefit from the tournament’s proceeds.
Registration begins at 11 a.m. followed by a box lunch and shotgun start. Individual entries are $135, which includes greens fees, a tournament gift package, lunch, dinner and on-course beverages.
At the post-tournament awards dinner, foursome prizes will be awarded for first place, second place and last. Individual prizes include longest drive, longest putt and closest to the pin. There will also be a 50/50 putting contest with a $10 entry fee and a raffle.
To register, call Jacksonville Beach Lifeguard Association Treasurer Sean O’Brien at 235-9723.