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. Email to: [email protected]. We encourage our readers to become more aware of the needs of these worthy organizations as they continue to provide much-needed services with reduced resources.
Main Street America Group donates school supplies
The Main Street America Group helped teachers and students at Woodland Acres Elementary School start the new school year by delivering a truckload of supplies.
All items were donated by Main Street America employees at its corporate headquarters located near the school's campus.
After the supplies arrived, Woodland Acres teachers were able to select what they needed to set up their classrooms for the 2013-14 school year. The supplies included copy paper, notebook paper, pencils, erasers, pens, crayons, markers, notebooks and binders.
In addition to the supply drive, the property and casualty insurance carrier's relationship with Woodland Acres includes on-site tutoring by its employees during the school year, as well as a summer reading book drive and an interactive field trip for the school's fifth-grade class at its corporate headquarters. Additionally, Main Street America is funding a new community outreach initiative to get parents of Woodland Acres students more involved in their children's education.
Entertainment executive to speak to JA Girls
The 5th Annual Smart Women Make Change Luncheon is scheduled at noon Sept. 26 at the Florida Blue Conference Center. The proceeds will benefit JA Girls, an initiative of Junior Achievement of North Florida that has served more than 10,000 girls since its inception in 2006.
The mission is to prepare girls and young women for economic success by providing hands-on experiences and educational opportunities that honor, value and celebrate the female perspective, experiences and development.
This year's keynote speaker is Christina Norman, a media executive and strategist. Most recently, she served as executive director of Huffington Post Black Voices. She also was the CEO of OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network, and worked for MTV.
Norman has been included on The Hollywood Reporter's "Power 100 Women in Entertainment." In 2009, CableFAX named her among the "Most Powerful Women in Cable" and in 2010 she made the "CableFAX 100 Power List."
For more information about the event and JA Girls, visit SmartWomenMakeChange.com or contact Elizabeth Paulson, JA Girls program director, at [email protected] or (904) 398-9944.
Concert for cancer survivors Oct. 11
Mayo Clinic and the University of North Florida are recognizing National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October by presenting the ninth annual Upbeat Pink: A Musical Tribute to Breast Cancer Survivorship concert at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 11 at Lazzara Performance Hall on the university's campus. The concert is free and open to the public.
The performance features the UNF Wind Symphony conducted by Gordon Brock and guest ensembles. The theme is "An Evening with James Bond and Friends," featuring songs from the past 50 years of the film series.
The musical tribute is a prelude to the seventh annual 26.2 with Donna: The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer scheduled Feb. 23 in Jacksonville Beach.
The marathon is the first devoted exclusively to raising funds for breast cancer research. The Donna Foundation will again donate a majority of the proceeds from the marathon to Mayo Clinic for breast cancer research. The 2013 event attracted more than 10,000 runners from around the world.
For more information about the concert, call the Breast Clinic in Florida at (904) 953-0707 or visit the Breast Clinic's Facebook events page.
Coyle joins Dignity U Wear
Nan Coyle has been named vice president of development for Dignity U Wear, the Jacksonville-based, national nonprofit that provides new clothing to people in need.
Coyle, who was most recently the director of field marketing for General Growth Properties, has served on the Dignity U Wear board of directors for the past five years.
"We couldn't be more pleased that Nan has joined the Dignity staff. She is a consummate professional, skillfully builds and nurtures relationships and has a passion for our organization and our mission. I'm certain that Nan will help us continue our growth and build upon the partnerships and collaborations already in place to help expand our services and reach even further," said Barbara Truncellito, Dignity U Wear executive director.
Coyle worked with General Growth for close to three years where she was responsible for a $6 million annual strategic marketing budget for 20 shopping centers in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Louisiana.
Before that, she spent 12 years as the director of sales and marketing for SMG Jacksonville, where she developed and managed a portfolio of sponsorships and partnerships for the city's sports and entertainment facilities including EverBank Field, Veterans Memorial Arena, the Prime Osborn Convention Center and the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts.
The mission of Dignity U Wear is to help children and their families in need by providing them with new clothing. Dignity U Wear partners with the apparel industry to provide the supply of clothing and then works through a network of social service agencies to deliver the clothing based on specified needs.
Founded by philanthropist Henri Landwirth in 2000, the organization has provided more than 7.4 million pieces, valued at $133 million, to more than 588,000 people.
For more information, visit dignityuwear.org or facebook.com/dignityuwear.org.