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.
‘Aloha by Moonlight’ in Nocatee
Join in the island spirit at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s upcoming Aloha By Moonlight event, which will be from 7-11 p.m. Saturday at Crosswater Hall at Nocatee in Ponte Vedra Beach. It’s an evening of live and silent auctions, tropical cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and live music featuring the Stevie “Fingers” Trio and Steel Fantasy. All food will be catered by The Perfect Pear Catering Co. with cocktails by Catered Cocktails.
“Aloha By Moonlight is a unique fundraiser that helps raise awareness and money to find a cure for cystic fibrosis while also allowing guests to enjoy an evening of fun and dancing,” said Richard Dalton, chair of the Aloha By Moonlight committee and president of Wellington Homes. “We invite everyone in the city to join us for an evening to remember in support of a great cause.”
In addition to the entertainment and food, guests will bid on auction packages including two VIP tickets and a meet-and-greet to an upcoming Darius Rucker concert at the St. Augustine Amphitheater and a ladies 18-carat rose gold diamond and rose quartz necklace designed by Kristina Fine Jewelry, valued at $5,000 and provided by Gregory’s Jewelry. Additional auction items include weekend getaways, a 2011 Daytona 500 package, in-home dinner parties, JJ’s Liberty Bistro celebration dinner, Latitude 30 party packages, American Airlines tickets, adventure park family packages, private photography sessions, custom-made children’s clothing and fine art.
Sponsors for the event include Clockwork Marketing Services, Deutsche Bank, The PARC Group, American Airlines, Dr. and Mrs. Albert Wilkinson III, Dr. and Mrs. Greg Hartley and Mark and Allison Lee. In-kind sponsors include A Unique Entertainment, Inc., Knighthawk Design, LLC, Lee Printing, Gregory’s Jewelers, North Florida Sales and Republic National Distributing Company. Charlene Shirk will be master of ceremonies for the evening and Aaron Bean will serve as the auctioneer.
Since the first event in 2002, formerly known as Moonlight Martinis, more than $750,000 has been raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s research and care programs.
More information regarding sponsorships and admission to Aloha By Moonlight is available by calling the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at 733-3560 or visiting http://nfl.cff.org/moonlight.com.
Panera Bread helps children
Before it officially opened its doors for business, the new Panera Bread location at the Oakleaf Town Center hosted a fund-raiser that earned $1,000 to help local children in need through the Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS) Buckner Division.
Panera Bread welcomed CHS supporters into the new cafe on Sept. 16 for a preview party. Attendees could order anything they wanted from the menu for a suggested minimum donation of $5.
“Panera is committed to being an active community partner, “said Steve Lisner, who oversees regional operations of Panera Bread in Jacksonville. “We were excited to be able to exemplify that at this new location early on and to support such a worthwhile cause.”
Panera partners with CHS year-round. Through the local Community Breadbox program, Panera Bread matches 50 percent of cash donations made by customers and donates it to the Children’s Home Society of Florida. Last year, Panera Bread’s 12 area bakery-cafe locations joined the community in contributing nearly $30,000 to the nonprofit organization.
Established in 1902, Children’s Home Society of Florida is one of Florida’s oldest private not-for-profit organizations providing services to children and families. CHS delivers a unique spectrum of social services designed to protect children at risk of abuse, neglect or abandonment; to strengthen and stabilize families; to help young people break the cycle of abuse and neglect; and to find safe, loving homes for children. Every year, CHS helps to improve the lives of about 100,000 children and family members.
Wine event benefits cancer fund
On Oct. 23 wine aficionados will be tipping their glasses for a cause at Florida’s First Coast Premier Wine Extravaganza. The event, which features more than 150 wines, will benefit The CHILD Cancer Fund.
Premier Beverages is hosting the event for the second year, which features wine tasting, grape stomping, entertainment and more. Additionally, a VIP event an hour prior to the main event includes reserve wine tasting and cheese pairing.
The event runs from 4-7 p.m., with the VIP area opening at 3 p.m. VIP tickets are $65 in advance and include special reserve wine tasting and a gift. General admission tickets are $50 each and include a gift. Military personnel with ID get a 50 percent discount on tickets.
For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.childcancerfund.orgor call 396-4223.
The CHILD Cancer Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting children and their families through the challenges of a childhood cancer diagnosis and treatment. It was established in 1994 by a group of Jacksonville parents whose children were receiving treatment for Cancer at Wolfson Children’s Hospital and Nemours Children’s Clinic. The fund was established to assist other families in the Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia area whose children were treated at Wolfson and Nemours.