• The City Rescue Mission expects at least 500 men, women and children to take part in its annual free Thanksgiving meal from noon-2 p.m. today at the New Life Inn on State Street Downtown. The City Rescue Mission will have meals available today for anyone in need. Bagged lunches will be handed out from 4-5 p.m. For more information, contact Penny Kievet at 421-5156 or e-mail at [email protected].
• The Children’s Christmas Party of Jacksonville is scheduled 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Osborn Center. The charity event gives new toys to 8,000 to 9,000 Jacksonville children in need, age 12 or younger. The nonprofit organization was founded in December 1999 by Travis and Margaret Storey. For more information, visit www.ccpoj.org.
• The Jacksonville Children’s Chorus will present a holiday performance, The Cool Side of Yuletide, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, at 2 p.m. Dec. 18 at Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church. The performance will feature holiday favorites and commissioned arrangements of “Jazzy Saint Nick,” “O Christmas Tree” and “Swingle Jingle.” The concert also features guest appearances by the First Coast Ringers. General admission tickets are $18. Proceeds will benefit The Jacksonville Children’s Chorus. For information, visit www.jaxchildrenschorus.com.
• Kids Together Against Cancer, a nonprofit support group for children whose parents or loved ones are facing a cancer diagnosis, is expanding its free services to the community. In addition to quarterly program workshops, Kids Together Against Cancer will offer a monthly program, a Facebook group for families who have completed the quarterly workshop program, and one-on-one consultations. The group began in late 2009 with its first five-week workshop. It expanded to six weeks, including a final graduation ceremony. The program was founded by St. Vincent’s HealthCare through a grant from the Rice Family Foundation to the St. Vincent’s Foundation. The group is free and is designed for children ages 5-17.