As our community continues to face a tight economy and shrinking budgets, the Daily Record has established this feature that will each week chronicle the efforts of local nonprofit organizations.
Bailey Publishing & Communications invites all members of the local nonprofit community to email news, announcements and success stories 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.
Mayor Alvin Brown visits children at foundation
On Feb. 15, Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown stopped by the MaliVai Washington Kids Foundation to tour the foundation’s TnT (Tennis and Tutoring) afterschool program.
Before taking a tour of the program, Brown had a roundtable discussion with foundation founder MaliVai Washington and several of the program’s student-mayors. Student-mayors are elected by their peers and serve as class leaders and representatives throughout the school year. During the roundtable, Brown explained how pursuing education would offer more opportunities in life and also congratulated them on their successes both in the classroom and on the tennis court. “Our students were very excited to see the mayor and were quite interested in knowing his plans for our beautiful city. I hope that Mayor Brown’s visit to our Youth Center will continue to highlight the importance of community involvement and advocacy. The mayor’s support is greatly appreciated and we look forward to a wonderful partnership with his administration,” said Washington.
The TnT program serves 160-plus at-risk youth in the community and provides free homework assistance, tennis lessons and life skills classes to students five days a week. The foundation also offers competitive tennis programs, a summer camp, community partnerships and outreach programs.
Cathedral Arts exhibit Sunday
The Cathedral Arts Visual Arts Showcase will be 1:30-3:30 p.m. Sunday at St. John’s Cathedral. The exhibit features art work created by students throughout Duval County who participate in the free after-school programs offered by Cathedral Arts.
St. John’s Cathedral is Downtown at 256 E. Church St.
The Cathedral Arts Project serves more than 1,000 youth in 52 programs including music, drama, visual arts, and dance at 25 locations throughout Jacksonville. Many of the art pieces have been on display at Jacksonville International Airport, the Main Library and other locations around the city. The works include classically inspired paintings, 3-D sculptures and cloth masks.
The art exhibit is free and open to the public, but donations are accepted. Visit capkids.org for more information.
Free legal advice March 3
The Jacksonville Bar Association and Jacksonville Area Legal Aid are offering an “Ask-A-Lawyer” event from 9 a.m-3 p.m. at the Gateway Town Center, 5000 Norwood Ave.
Interested people should enter the mall at the double doors by A&M Cell Phones, near the Jacksonville Transportation Authority bus loading/unloading zone.
The Ask-A-Lawyer service is free-of-charge. Attorneys will conduct individual, 10-to-15-minute consultations. The attorneys have expertise in many areas of law and can provide guidance regarding family law matters, employment, landlord/tenant, wills and estates, criminal law, bankruptcy and foreclosures, among others.
In addition, attorneys from the Hispanic Bar Association will be present to provide legal advice to Spanish-speakers.
Individuals who participate in Ask-A-Lawyer must sign statements verifying that they understand that the interviewing attorney will not be opening a case, but is there to provide some legal guidance and information on additional community resources. For matters that require full representation, individuals may be referred to JALA or to the Jacksonville Lawyer Referral Service.
The Jacksonville Bar Association is aware that for many in the community, legal representation is cost prohibitive. JALA and many pro bono attorneys assist with representing these residents in their civil legal matters, but the need far exceeds the legal resources. In some cases, legal representation may not be required and in some cases brief counsel and advice from a licensed attorney may be all the assistance a person needs.
The Ask-A-Lawyer events bring legal assistance into neighborhoods free of charge. These events are offered four times a year in various locations. The event that was held in September at the Gateway Town Center served more than 60 individuals with 15 attorneys and 10 law students present to provide brief counsel and advice.