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.
Inaugural event exceeds goal
More than 75 people from companies and family teams joined in support of the smallest citizens in Northeast Florida – babies – by celebrating the inaugural First Coast March for Babies Thank You and Awards Reception.
The reception was May 21 at the Omni Hotel. Representatives from some of Jacksonville’s top companies helped to celebrate exceeding the event goal of $636,000 and raising more than $670,000 to help babies be born healthy.
Special guests at the event included March for Babies Chair Scott Coble and the 2011 First Coast March for Babies Family Team Ambassador.
“Northeast Florida March of Dimes is growing. This can only help us reach our goal of making sure all babies are born healthy,” said Coble, North Florida president of Wachovia, a Wells Fargo company.
“We are so proud to represent the March of Dimes, to honor our daughter Emily Grace, and to celebrate Hannah and Audrey,” said Erin Sturgill, who along with her husband, Ron, and children Hannah and Audrey served as the 2011 First Coast Family Team Ambassador Family.
Money raised from the March for Babies event funds research, awareness, education and local community grants for programs, including NICU Family Support Centers at Shands Jacksonville and Baptist Medical Center Downtown.
The top fundraising team for 2011 was Publix Super Markets Inc., with $147,000, followed by VyStar Credit Union with $83,000 and Wachovia rounding out the top three with $68,000.
Premature birth affects more than 500,000 babies each year, with the number growing every day. In November, the March of Dimes issued a Premature Birth Report Card, giving the nation a “D” and Florida a grade of “F.”
The March of Dimes is committed to reducing that toll by funding research to find the answers to problems that continue to threaten the health of babies.
March for Babies is sponsored nationally by Kmart, Farmers Insurance Group, Bayer HealthCare, CIGNA, Famous Footwear, FedEx, Sanofi Pasteur, United Airlines, First Response and Mission Pharmacal.
First Coast March for Babies is presented by Wachovia, a Wells Fargo company, with additional sponsorship by Citi and WJXT.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.
CIT volunteers for CHS
As part of CIT’s 6th Annual Global Employee Volunteer Month (GEVM), about 20 CIT employees participated in beautification projects at the Buckner Division campus of the Children’s Home Society of Florida.
Employees spent their day raking and bagging leaves, trimming palms and painting and sealing patio furniture and picnic tables. This was the third consecutive CIT volunteered at the society.
“It has always been a very popular project for our employees, who have continuously expressed a sense of pride and accomplishment in their efforts for CHS,” said Ron Arrington, global president, CIT vendor finance.
CIT’s volunteer month was created in 2005 to provide employees opportunities to volunteer in their local communities and to foster or build new relationships with nonprofit organizations.
“We are honored to once again be a part of CIT’s Global Employee Volunteer Month. The work that the CIT employees put into this project improved the appearance of our campus creating a welcoming environment for our visitors, staff and the more than 35 children and teens who reside on campus,” said Buckner Division Executive Director Kymberly Cook.
BEAM Young Professionals social hour
Beaches Emergency Assistance Ministry is sponsoring an introductory social hour for young professionals at 6 p.m. today at the Casa Marina penthouse, 691 N. First St. in Jacksonville Beach.
The group is intended to be an active social and support arm for the fundraising and program activities of BEAM, a Beach-based nonprofit that provides short-term food and financial assistance to residents in need.
Young professionals interested in becoming active in the community are encouraged to attend.
There will be light appetizers and the first drink will be provided compliments of Casa Marina. There is no charge for the event.
For more information, call BEAM Fundraising Committee Chair Chris Hoffman at 476-6153.
BEAM is a 26-year-old ministry founded by churches. It helps families remain in their homes and become self-sufficient, with a food pantry, rent and utility assistance, help with SNAP (food stamp) applications and more.
For more information about BEAM, visit www.jaxbeam.org or email [email protected].
Home repair from The Home Depot
Through its Community Impact Grants Program, The Home Depot Foundation has awarded $2,500 to Ability Housing of Northeast Florida Inc.
The donation will be used for repairs to Ability Housing’s CASA homes. The CASA program provides quality, affordable rental housing for adults with a disability. It consists of 29 single-family homes scattered throughout the community in neighborhoods of the residents’ choosing.
“We needed building supplies to repair a number of homes in our CASA program. Employees of Coldwell Banker have agreed to volunteer their time to fix up these houses, but we did not have the funds for the materials,” said Shannon Nazworth, executive director for Ability Housing.
“We were delighted to receive a $2,500 gift card from The Home Depot Foundation. Our volunteers are so happy to get the supplies they need,” she said.
The Home Depot Foundation’s Community Impact Grants Program supports the work that local nonprofit organizations, public schools and other community organizations are doing to improve the physical health of their neighborhoods.
In 2011, The Home Depot Foundation committed $30 million over three years to nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the homes of economically disadvantaged veterans.
Through Team Depot, the company’s associate-led volunteer program, thousands of Home Depot associates volunteer their time and talents to positively transform neighborhoods and perform basic repairs and modifications to homes and to the facilities serving veterans with critical housing needs.
Since its formation in 2002, The Home Depot Foundation has granted more than $270 million to nonprofit organizations improving homes and lives in local communities.
To learn more about Ability Housing, visit www.abilityhousing.org.
Car keys for blood donor
The Blood Alliance, Northeast Florida’s sole provider of blood to area hospitals, together with the “smart center Jacksonville,” a Brumos Company, will present car keys to the winner of its smart car promotion at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the main lobby of The Blood Alliance at Deerwood Park.
“We had about 25,000 donors participate in the smart car promotion that started in December last year. We have been pleased with the turnout, especially over the holiday season, when donations tend to decline.
Our need for blood is constant. We must collect 360 pints of blood every day to meet the demands of our area hospitals, and we depend on our community to make that happen,” said Valerie Collins, COO of The Blood Alliance.
“The Brumos Companies are proud to partner with the Blood Alliance for the smart car campaign.
Working together to raise awareness for the importance of blood donations in our community is a smart partnership,” said Jeff Bender, general manager of Mercedes-Benz of Orange Park and smart center Jacksonville.
The Blood Alliance provides blood products to more than 20 hospitals and medical facilities in 10 counties in Northeast Florida and regions of Georgia and South Carolina.
It provides a blood supply to the regions it serves and is a member of America’s Blood Centers, a national network of independent community blood centers responsible for nearly half of the nation’s blood supply.
The local organization opened in 1942 and is a nonprofit community blood center licensed by the FDA and accredited by the AABB, formerly the American Association of Blood Banks.
For more information, visit: www.igiveblood.com.