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.
Golfers and sponsors needed
Organizers of the 5th annual John Rowan Memorial Golf Tournament are looking for sponsors and golfers for their upcoming tournament. The event, which benefits the Justice Coalition, is scheduled March 21 at Hidden Hills Country Club.
Sponsorships are available at the Emerald, Shamrock, Pot-O-Gold, Leprechaun and Clover levels. You can also become a Memorial Sponsor, which includes a memorial sign on one of the 18 holes of a missing or murdered loved one. Single player entries are also available.
All participants receive a full breakfast and lunch. An awards ceremony, live auction and silent auction follow the tournament.
If you are interested in sponsorship or have an item that could be included in the auction, call the Justice Coalition at 783-6312.
The John Rowan Memorial Golf Tournament has been an important fundraiser for the Justice Coalition since its inception in 2006. Nongolfers who are interested in participating can volunteer or donate. Visit www.justicecoalition.org for more information or to sign up for the tournament.
John Rowan disappeared Feb. 23, 2001. He was last seen leaving for work from his East Arlington home. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has classified the case as an unsolved murder.
A $200,000 reward is available for information that could lead to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the crime.
Founded in 1995, the Justice Coalition is a grassroots organization seeking rights for victims in the criminal justice system. Founder Ted M. Hires Sr. discovered when he and his staff were brutally victimized by armed robbers that the victims of crime had virtually no place in the process of dispensing justice.
He created the Justice Coalition to help victims of violent crime throughout Northeast Florida. The coalition keeps the public informed and involved through its monthly newspaper, “The Victims’ Advocate.”
The coalition, its founder and some of the members have won local and national awards stemming from their activities in the area of community involvement. The FBI honored Hires with the Director’s Award for Community Leadership, bestowed by Director Louis Freeh in 1997.
Philanthropists fund food
The Sulzbacher Center received a gift of $50,000 from Jacksonville residents Steve and Anne Pajcic, who made the donation to allow the center to continue to serve lunch to the public every day.
The Sulzbacher Center will continue to work alongside other Downtown shelters, including the Clara White Mission and The Salvation Army, on the public meal schedule.
Beginning this week, the Clara White Mission will serve breakfast at 8:30 a.m., the Sulzbacher Center will serve lunch at noon and dinner at 6:30 p.m. and The Salvation Army will serve dinner at 6:20 p.m. The trial period will last for 60 days after which it will be evaluated.
For more than 107 years, the Clara White Mission has helped Jacksonville’s homeless and low income individuals gain a new perspective on life. Its community development center provides meal service, training in culinary arts and janitorial environmental services, employment placements, case management, a day center, housing and a student training café at St. John’s Cathedral.
For more information, www.clarawhitemission.org.
The Salvation Army, established in 1865, has been supporting those in need for 129 years in the United States.
Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through social services that include providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter for the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged child-ren.
About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide.
For more information, visit www.salvationarmyjax.org.
The Sulzbacher Center assists homeless men, women and children. Its services include street outreach, daily meals, safe shelter, case management, job placement, and medical, dental and mental health care as well as scattered-site housing.
Every day, the Sulzbacher Center is home to more than 300 homeless people.
For more information, visit www.sulzbachercenter.org.