As our community continues to face a tight economy and shrinking budgets, the Daily Record has established this feature that each week reports the efforts of local nonprofit organizations and the individuals and businesses that support them.
Bailey Publishing & Communications invites all members of the local nonprofit community to email news, announcements and success stories to [email protected] or to [email protected].
We also encourage our readers to become more aware of the needs of these worthy organizations as they continue to provide valuable services with reduced resources.
Friends of Library presents bigger book warehouse sale
Volunteers for Friends of Jacksonville Public Library have prepared for another end-of-the-summer Book Warehouse Sale.
The sale started Friday and continues through Saturday. The Book Warehouse is at University Park Library, 3435 University Blvd. N.
Friends President Harry Reagan said the sale will include more book bargains than ever.
“We’ve made room for more books,” he said. “Installation of additional shelving makes it possible for us to display more books. Shoppers will find some great bargains.”
Reagan said the sale includes a large selection of children’s books and a new section of young-adult books for teens.
The sale’s proceeds and organization’s two bookstores raise money to supplement the library budget.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of the sale:
Today – 4 to 7 p.m. ($10 bag special)
Thursday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ($10 bag special)
Saturday – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ($10 bag special)
The $10 bag special — all the books you can stuff into a brown grocery bag — is also back.
As in the past, the sale included an opening night for organization members only. Memberships are currently half price and can be purchased at the door for $12.50 for a family, $7.50 for an individual and $5 for seniors or students.
For more information about the sale, call 630-2304 or visit the FJPL website, fjpl.org.
Musical’s proceeds to raise money for the homeless
Family Promise is pleased to be a partner in “Another Sign, The Musical” written by Mike White and Jim Citrone. This is an opportunity to enjoy a performance while supporting Family Promise. The show will be performed Sept. 25-30 at the Wilson Theatre at the South Campus of Florida State College at Jacksonville.
The 8 p.m. Sept. 28 showing will be “Family Promise Night.” Tickets for that night’s performance can be purchased from Family Promise board members or staff, or by PayPal. By purchasing your ticket from Family Promise, your ticket’s price includes a donation to the nonprofit.
Family Promise will also be offering a silent auction during that evening’s performance. Those who prefer another performance can still support Family Promise by visiting www.itsanothersign.com and using the promotion code “family” to purchase tickets.
Those who purchase tickets with the promotion code will receive a $5 discount and also $5 will be donated back to Family Promise. Those interested can use this code for any performance.
Performance dates are: 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 26; 7:30 p.m. Sept. 27; 8 p.m. Sept. 28; 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sept. 29; and 2 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sept. 30.
Family Promise of Jacksonville helps homeless families move into a home and live independently by partnering with 18 local congregations that provide shelter and meals for the families. The agency also works with other local social services to help families with needs such as child care, job training and employment placement. It is one of more than 175 affiliates nationwide.
For more information visit familypromisejax.org or call 354-1818.
Holland & Knight raises $65K for at-risk children
Holland & Knight has awarded $65,700 in grants to 20 local community organizations assisting at-risk children.
For the second year in a row, lawyers and staff in the firm’s Jacksonville office contributed money as part of the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation’s Local Donor Advised Fund.
The office’s Committee for the Public Good prepared and distributed grant applications and then met for more than three weeks to determine which organizations would receive the awards.
The committee received requests for funding such services as an after school African dance program, camp scholarships for children with special needs, an anti-bullying program, bleachers and uniforms for an inner-city sports program, financial education for at-risk girls and special after-school and summertime meals for low income children.
Local organizations that will be receiving funds from the firm include:
• Angelwood
• Cathedral Arts Project
• Catholic Charities
• Children’s Home Society
• Community Connections of Jacksonville
• Community Hospice
• Downtown Ecumenical Services Council
• Episcopal Children’s Services
• Girls Inc.
• Grand Park Athletic Association
• Jewish Family & Community Services
• Junior Achievement
• Lutheran Social Services
• Mental Health America
• NE Florida Conservatory
• One Hundred Black Men of Jacksonville
• Operation New Hope
• R.V. Daniels Elementary School
• School of Success Academy
• Waste Not Want Not
“While it would seem that we were set to ‘play ball’ this spring after volunteers from Vistakon, JEA, J.B. Coxwell, TB Landmark and United Brothers turned empty land into a new baseball field at the A.L. Lewis Center, we did not have the equipment to maintain our wonderful new field” or supply the team with tee-ball and baseball equipment, said Leila Duncan, CEO of Community Connections of Jacksonville.
“This extraordinary gift will benefit programs like our successful Saturday Night Lights sports program for Jacksonville youth. We hope that Holland & Knight’s generosity will be emulated by other individuals and corporate entities as we build the financial foundation that allows us to serve our community,” said Levi McIntosh, president and chairman of the Board of 100 Black Men of Jacksonville, Inc.
Holland & Knight is a global law firm with approximately 1,000 lawyers in 17 U.S. offices as well as Abu Dhabi, Beijing, Bogotá and Mexico City. The firm is among the nation’s largest law firms, providing representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law.
Southern Ford Dealers pledges 100,000 meals for food bank
North Florida residents can “drive the drive” as the Southern Ford Dealers and Second Harvest North Florida are partnering to launch the Southern Ford Dealers’ yearlong Driving Hunger Relief program. Available through Sept. 10, the kickoff program lets residents take part in activities to provide 100,000 meals for Feeding America in the Southern Ford Dealer communities.
Southern Ford Dealers will donate two meals for each new fan of the Southern Ford Dealers’ Facebook page, 10 meals for each new vehicle test drive and 100 meals for every vehicle purchased during the kickoff period.
“We are incredibly excited to participate in this promotion with the Southern Ford Dealers,” said Second Harvest Executive Director Bruce Ganger. “We hope that people will choose to participate and, in turn, make a difference in the lives of thousands of families in North Florida that find themselves struggling to put food on the table.”
According to Second Harvest, more than 342,000 individuals in the North Florida area are food insecure, which includes 117,000 children.
All meals raised in the North Florida area will be donated to Second Harvest North Florida and distributed to more than 500 member agencies throughout its 17-county region.
Those interested in supporting this cause can become a fan of Southern Ford Dealers on Facebook, or visit their nearest Ford dealer to test drive or purchase a new vehicle.
Individuals interested in learning more about the program or locating their nearest Ford dealer can visit www.DrivingHungerRelief.com.