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 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.
$20,000 grant from Comcast
The Monique Burr Foundation for Children Inc. has received a $20,000 grant from Comcast. The grant will be used to fund the foundation’s education and child abuse prevention programs taught in public and private elementary schools in Northeast Florida.
“The Monique Burr Foundation for Children is an inspiring organization that is educating and providing hope in the lives of thousands of children, and we are extremely excited to be part of bringing its mission to life in our community,” said Ann Murphy, Comcast director of government affairs and community relations.
“At Comcast, we believe in giving back to those who support the children of our community. They are the future of this city and it is an honor to present the foundation with a grant that will help them continue to spread the important message of child abuse prevention education.”
The grant is a contribution to the foundation’s continuing mission to educate local teachers, children and their parents on safety from all forms of child abuse, bullying and neglect.
“We are honored that Comcast has chosen our foundation to receive a grant for the second consecutive year, in particular that it is the largest grant they have given to any nonprofit organization in our area. The grant will impact thousands of children by providing preventative and awareness programs in our schools,” said Lynn Layton, foundation executive director.
‘March for Babies’ in St. Augustine
Saturday in downtown St. Augustine, hundreds of families and business leaders will join in the March of Dimes’ annual March for Babies, the nation’s oldest fundraising walk honoring babies born healthy and those who need help to survive and thrive.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. and the walk starts at 9 a.m. Funds raised by March for Babies in Florida help support prenatal wellness programs, research grants, family support programs and advocacy efforts for stronger, healthier babies.
For information, visit www.marchforbabies.org or call 398-2821 to sign up as an individual, start a corporate, family or friends team or donate.
PGA Tour honored by AFP
The Association of Fundraising Professionals International will present a special honor to the PGA Tour for the organization’s efforts in surpassing the $1 billion mark in charitable giving in 2005.
AFP International President and CEO Paulette V. Maehara will award the recognition at the AFP First Coast Chapter’s National Philanthropy Day luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 10 at the Hyatt Downtown.
The PGA Tour will be given the award for its ongoing philanthropy throughout the communities where it hosts tournaments and the impact on hundreds of local charities.
“The PGA Tour’s commitment to philanthropy and charitable giving is extraordinary and speaks to the vision and generosity of the players, staff and leadership of the organization,” said Maehara.
“The tour can serve as a model for other sports and related organizations, and AFP is honored and humbled to be able to recognize its tremendous efforts.”
Pricing for the event is $550 per table and $55 per person. Reservations can be made online at www.npdreservations.com. AFP members and nonmembers are welcome to attend.
‘Empty Bowls’ Nov. 16
More than 2,000 ceramic bowls have been created around Northeast Florida in preparation for the 26th Annual Empty Bowls Luncheon benefiting Second Harvest North Florida. The luncheon is set for Nov. 16 at the Osborn Center.
Children from more than 50 schools are contributing their artistic talents to the effort, along with senior citizens’ groups, local artists and other community and professional organizations. They are volunteering their time and talents to the cause of fighting hunger in North Florida.
More than 1,200 people attended the luncheon in 2009 and the event raised net proceeds of more than $75,000 for Second Harvest. More than 400 seats have been added this year.
The event serves as a reminder that many families and children in the community go to bed hungry. Through the years, it has become a kickoff for North Florida’s holiday season.
Luncheon attendees are able to choose one of the students’ bowls as a keepsake. Professional artist bowls may be purchased to benefit Second Harvest. Guests can also compete in a silent auction for celebrity-signed bowls.
This year’s event is scheduled from noon-1 p.m. Doors will open at 11 a.m. Attendees are provided a simple meal of bread, soup and fruit, symbolic of the meals served by the soup kitchens to which Second Harvest distributes food throughout the year. Local celebrities will serve the meal.
Luncheon tickets are $25 per person, while nonprofit tables are $300 and corporate tables $500. Additional event sponsorship packages are available as well.
Bank of America is the presenting sponsor. Other 2010 sponsors include Acosta Sales & Marketing, Regions Bank, Wachovia, Black Diamond Performance Reporting, PRI Productions, Chick-fil-A, Futch Printing, Kirby Rentals, Atlantic Pottery Supply Inc., SMG, Hometown Threads and BJ’s.
For ticket and sponsorship information, contact Tia R. Ford at 739-7074 or visit www.wenourishhope.org.
PAL to roast Autrey
The Police Athletic League of Jacksonville Inc. will host the Second Annual Sheriff’s Roast on Nov. 18 at the Omni Hotel. The reception and silent auction begin at 5:30 p.m. and the dinner and roast will start at 7:30 p.m.
Ron Autrey, president of Miller Electric, is the 2010 honoree. The event includes cocktails, dinner and a silent auction.
“I appreciate Ron’s willingness to stand up there and take verbal punches from a group of friends, like I did last year, as the so-called honoree,” said Jacksonville Sheriff John Rutherford. “For those of you who were there, you know Ron’s sense of humor and wit stole the show.”
Those interested in supporting the event may purchase tickets, donate a silent auction item, or help underwrite the event through a sponsorship.
All proceeds go to benefit more than 2,800 at-risk children participating in the educational and athletic programs of PAL in an effort to reduce juvenile crime. For more information, contact Renée Naughton at 854-6580 or [email protected] or visit www.jaxpal.com.
Fashion benefit for Symphony Guild
“Rhapsody on the Runway,” a benefit for The Guild of the Jacksonville Symphony, is planned for Nov. 18. The Guild is partnering with Linda Cunningham Couture to present a runway-style fashion show at the Sawgrass Marriott Hotel in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Marilyn Carpenter, a longtime guild member and symphony supporter, is the honorary chair.
The event begins at 6:30 p.m. with cocktails and appetizers. The fashion show starts with a live auction with Luman Beasley of Luman Beasley Auctioneers. Items include a trip to England with a hot-air balloon ride and high tea at Claridge’s, original artwork, Jacksonville Symphony tickets with dinner and hotel accommodations, and a $1,000 New York City shopping spree with a personal shopper, hotel and air transportation.
Tickets for “Rhapsody on the Runway” are $100 per person. For reservations, call Symphony Guild Coordinator Sherrie Calvert Webb at 358-1479.
The Guild of the Jacksonville Symphony Association has worked “to further an awareness of music and to create strong community support of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra through fundraising projects” since the orchestra’s inception in 1950.
Brassy Broads’ bake sale
There’s a small group of women at ElderSource, the state designated Area Agency on Aging and Aging Resource Center for Northeast Florida, who call themselves the Brassy Older Office Broads Society.
Because October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, they decided to put their baking skills to work to raise money for the Donna Foundation.
They baked from scratch and sold cupcakes for a dollar to help raise the funds. Staff members were allowed to dress down for the day if they paid $1 and wore pink, and another staff person made cards with “Fight Like a Girl,” which sold for $3.