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As our community continues to face a challenging economy, the Daily Record provides this page that each week chronicles 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 encourage our readers to become more aware of the needs of these worthy organizations as they continue to provide valuable services with reduced resources.
New school for Daniel
Florida’s oldest child-serving agency has officially begun construction of a new education center on the agency’s Southside campus.
Daniel President and CEO Jim Clark, U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw and other dignitaries ceremonially turned the first shovels of dirt on the project Aug. 28. The dirt was placed in a sculpture donated by Jacksonville artist Nofa Dixon. When the education center opens, the first dirt turned will be used to plant flowers there.
The new center will include high-tech classrooms as well as math, reading and computer labs along with an art room. The facility will serve children in the residential treatment program as well as the hundreds of off-campus youth in crisis served, including foster children, formerly homeless teens and at-risk youth throughout the community.
An ongoing capital campaign for the education center has raised $1.7 million to date, including a $495,000 federal grant secured with help from Crenshaw. An additional $902,000 still needs to be raised to complete the project.
After the ground-breaking ceremony, there was a 126th birthday party for the organization on the campus grounds. Volunteers from Celebration Church organized activities and served food. Applebee’s donated hot dogs and hamburgers, Blue Bell Ice Cream donated ice cream and popsicles and Publix donated two birthday cakes.
Golf tournament raises $30,000
City Rescue Mission’s second annual Champions Challenge golf tournament, sponsored by Lighthouse Christian School, took place Aug. 30 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra. The tournament serves as one of City Rescue Mission’s major fundraisers and more than $30,000 was raised through sponsorships, participant entry fees and donations to help Jacksonville’s homeless and needy.
“The golf tournament provides a wonderful opportunity to bring together key members of our donor community for a day of fellowship and recreation, while supporting the mission and vision of City Rescue Mission to change lives and build futures of those in need,” said Penny Kievet, director of resource development.
After the tournament, City Rescue Mission hosted a dinner and awards program in the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse. During dinner, two students from City Rescue Mission’s LifeBuilders program, an 18-month, Bible-based residential recovery program, spoke about the ways in which the mission has helped them turn their lives around.
“I thank God every day for bringing me to City Rescue Mission,” said LifeBuilders student Steven McBride. “It is because of their help that I am able to stand here in front of you today as a new man, without addiction and with a future.”
Bank supports housing and the arts
Deutsche Bank recently awarded $20,000 in community grants to two local nonprofit organizations, Ability Housing and The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens. The funds from these grants will support Ability Housing’s efforts to increase the supply of quality, affordable rental housing in Jacksonville and fund the Weaver Academy of Art program at The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens.
Ability Housing provides affordable housing to the community’s most vulnerable citizens, individuals and families at risk of homelessness and adults with disabilities. The organization works in partnership with area service providers to offer affordable rental housing and also assists individuals and families in maintaining their housing and improving their life skills through three housing programs, Villages, CASA and HousingLink Jax.
Last year, Deutsche Bank employees participated in a one-day event with about 175 community volunteers to construct a playground for the residents of Ability Housing’s Mayfair Village Apartments.
The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens will use Deutsche Bank’s grant to fund the Weaver Academy of Art. The program serves more than 3,700 children in pre-K through fifth grade in eight Jacksonville elementary schools where 94 percent of the students qualify for free or reduced lunches. The initiative is the largest educational program in the museum’s history and will provide outreach in the classroom, museum tours, teacher training, free art classes and art and literacy assemblies at each school.
The Weaver Academy of Art is based on fundamental connections made through art exposure and impacts children who otherwise might not experience a family trip to a local museum. The Cummer will provide students with supplies as well as access to explore the art museum and its gardens.
Deutsche Bank employees have volunteered in the museum’s annual VSA Arts Festival for the past two years, with employee involvement tripling in the second year. Deutsche Bank employees will have opportunities to volunteer for the Weaver Academy of Art program, Camp Cummer and the VSA Arts Festival.
Nominations sought for Hires Awards
The Justice Coalition is accepting nominations for the 2010 Ted Hires Legacy Awards, which will be handed out at the second annual Ted Hires Legacy Dinner. The event will take place from 6-8:30 p.m. Oct. 21 at the Morocco Shrine Center.
There are three categories for nominees: Ted Hires Legacy Outstanding Citizen Award, Ted Hires Legacy Outstanding Business Award and Ted Hires Legacy Outstanding Government Official Award.
The Citizen Award recognizes either a victim or survivor of violent crime who has exhibited exceptional perseverance or determination or an individual who has acted bravely either to aid a victim or to prevent victimization.
The Business Award recognizes a local business owner, corporation or organization outside the victim assistance field for its service and/or contribution to victims of violent crime.
The Government Award honors a government official, agency or organization for its service to victims of violent crime.
The Justice Coalition will accept one nomination per person in each category and nominations must be submitted by Sept. 15.
The Ted Hires Legacy Awards Dinner was established by the Justice Coalition and community leaders to become a lasting tribute to founder Ted Hires. The event will help the Justice Coalition raise funds to carry on his legacy and continue its work assisting victims and their families in Northeast Florida. Sponsorships are available at four levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze. Individual tickets will also be available.
For more information, visit www.tedhireslegacy.org.
Improving youth health
FreshMinistries has secured funding from Merck to implement a peer-to-peer health education and empowerment initiative in Jacksonville’s Eastside called “Siyafundisa Outreach.” The project’s goal is to improve the overall health and outcome of the Eastside community’s youth population.
The program, nicknamed “Siya-Out,” is expanding upon the Siyafundisa (see-ya-fun-deeza, Zulu for “teach our children”) youth peer-to-peer HIV/AIDS prevention education program that was developed by the Harvard School of Public Health and implemented by FreshMinistries in 2005 in South Africa.
“Siyafundisa has been so successful in South Africa, and the feedback we’ve received has been very encouraging,” said The Rev. Dr. Robert V. Lee III, chair and CEO of FreshMinistries. “So we wanted to demonstrate that the model and idea was portable and could be implemented successfully in an area with somewhat different circumstances.”
Siyafundisa Outreach will train young peer leaders with factually correct information on diseases such as HIV/AIDS and STDs, prevention of teen pregnancy, proper nutrition, positive choices, gender equality, the value of education, confidence through public speaking, job readiness and employer expectations, role-laying, conflict resolution, time management, financial literacy, personal responsibility to self and community, personal hygiene and embracing diversity and respect for others.
The Siya leaders then will train a minimum of 10 of their friends, siblings and family members by distributing informational material and sharing age-appropriate information.
“A lot of this stuff just isn’t something many families and friends talk about,” said Beverly Toney, community director for FreshMinistries. “Many problems and hardships the community faces could be alleviated through leadership and education like this program provides. We know this because the recent leadership presence here on the Eastside, such as the Eastside Neighborhood Association, has made a big difference already.”