Pet Paradise Resort has made a positive impact in numerous communities throughout the United States by partnering with nonprofits, including the Jacksonville Humane Society.
Wacky Wednesday is a special daycare and bath promotion to benefit local animal welfare groups. Each location chooses a charity to receive $1 from each bath. Since the program began in 2009, Pet Paradise has donated about $67,500 to more than 20 organizations nationally.
Two Pet Paradise locations, University Boulevard and at the Jacksonville International Airport, donated more than $1,000 to the Jacksonville Humane Society as part of the year-end Wacky Wednesday promotion.
Each holiday season, Pet Paradise holds its Food for Paws Pet Food Drive to benefit pet owners in need. The Pet Paradise on University Boulevard location collected and donated more than 2,300 pounds of food to the Jacksonville Humane Society. The business h
as distributed more than 112,000 pounds of pet food in the past six years.
Credit unions support nonprofits
The Northeast Florida Chapter of the League of Southeastern Credit Unions donated $6,000 to three local nonprofits.
Ability Housing of Northeast Florida, Hope Haven and First Coast No More Homeless Pets each received $2,000.
Judy Walz, president of the Northeast Florida Chapter of LSCU, said her group is proud to give back to the community through this annual tradition.
“Our members consider community involvement to be the one of the core values of the chapter,” she said. “We hope our contribution can bring more happiness and joy to people in need.”
Job fair Thursday at City Rescue Mission
The City Rescue Mission will host a community job fair from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday at its McDuff Avenue campus.
The Women’s Center of Jacksonville and the Jacksonville Reentry Center will co-sponsor the event, which will offer LifeBuilders addiction recovery program students from the mission and the general public an opportunity to meet potential employers.
Participating businesses include CLP, Waffle House, Village Bread Co., Optimum Personnel Services, Labor Ready, Randstad, VETS Recycling Inc. and HBI.
CareerSource Northeast Florida and the Jacksonville Urban League will be on hand, as well.
Angela Cook, workforce development manager for the mission, said she is looking forward to the agency’s first job fair.
“This event is a win-win for everyone,” she said. “Companies can recruit from the local community and our students will gain valuable experience presenting themselves before potential employers.”
For more information, call (904) 387-4357 or (904) 301-2420.
The LifeBuilders addiction recovery program addresses the spiritual, medical, social, educational and life skills needs of men and women suffering from life-controlling addictions. The residential program lasts 12-18 months.
$25,000 for PACE Center from Wingard Creative
PACE Center for Girls was named the winner of Wingard Creative’s pro bono program, The Wishing Well.
Wingard Creative will provide PACE with in-kind creative services such as graphic design, website development, and copywriting, valued at $25,000.
“Our mission for 2015 is to help PACE deliver its message to girls who can benefit from its services, as well as donors who can provide vital financial support,” said Christopher Ball, CEO of Wingard Creative.
“As PACE grows to help even more girls, we are embarking on a new branding and marketing strategy to ensure that more girls and their families are aware of what PACE offers,” said Mary Marx, CEO of PACE Center for Girls. “The creative leadership that Wingard Creative is providing through this generous award will ensure that even more girls can achieve their full potential.”
The Wishing Well program also will allow full-time Wingard employees to use 12 hours of company time for volunteer projects of their choice.
Food bank needs fruit and pickers
Feeding Northeast Florida wants to hear from residents who have unwanted citrus fruit in their trees and volunteers who would like to help collect the fruit in preparation for the Citrus Harvest for the Hungry from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 24.
The charity is partnering with The Society of St. Andrews for the project.
Operations Director Eli Darkatsh said the agency hopes to collect 30,000 pounds of fresh citrus that will be distributed to up to 150 food pantries and other partners in 17 Northeast Florida counties.
“People can help us in three ways — donating their citrus trees for volunteers to pick, or picking it themselves and delivering it to one of five area drop-off locations that day, or by donating their time to pick the fruit,” Darkatsh said.
To donate trees for picking, call (904) 201-4413 or email
[email protected].
To volunteer to help with picking the fruit, call (904) 830-4379 or register online at feedingnefl.com/volunteer.
Feeding Northeast Florida distributes food to people who struggle to feed themselves and their families in 17 Northeast Florida counties through a network of more than 150 nonprofit, faith-based and charitable organizations.
The 2014 Hunger in America report shows that 38,000 people are served each week by programs supported by the agency. To donate, volunteer or find out more about eliminating hunger in Northeast Florida, visit feedingnefl.org or call (904) 513-1333.
Productive year for North Florida Land Trust
North Florida Land Trust ended 2014 with a string of successful projects and acquisitions and started this year with a positive outlook for land preservation.
A number of grants and partnerships with foundations allowed the nonprofit to continue its mission of environmental preservation.
The Robert and Merial Milam Trust Fund made it possible to purchase another lot on Big Talbot Island, which brings the total property the trust has preserved on the island to about 340 acres.
The same fund allowed the organization to assist in doubling the nesting success of diamondback terrapins through predator management and nest monitoring, to restore the nesting beach on Sawpit Island and to create nesting bird habitats on nearby spoil islands.
The fund has also made it possible for the trust to work with Big Talbot Island State Park and the University of North Florida’s archeology program in a dig on the Grand Site Indian Mound. The trust will work with the groups this year to develop the site into a park.
Funding from the Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation and the Betsy Wood Foundation allowed the trust to develop a strategic plan that identified and helped prioritize where the organization should focus preservation efforts over the next five to 10 years.
The Chartrand Foundation made it possible for the trust to move into new headquarters.
The foundation gave the organization a historic 108-year-old home on Gilmore Street in Riverside, which it moved into in April.
North Florida Land Trust is a nonprofit that serves Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Nassau, Putnam and St. Johns counties. Founded in 1999, the trust has protected thousands of acres of environmentally significant land including at Big Talbot Island, the River Branch Preserve, Pumpkin Hill State Park, Moccasin Slough and along the St. Mary’s River.
For more information, visit northfloridalandtrust.org.
Cruise Jan. 30 for K9s For Warriors
Victory Casino Cruises Jacksonville will host a cruise at 7 p.m. Jan. 30 to raise money for K9s For Warriors’ new facility in Nocatee.
“We selected K9s For Warriors for their exceptional care and support provided to our military heroes,” said Lester Bullock, CEO for Victory Casino Cruises. “The service they are providing is life-changing and we are honored to be able to support them in their mission.”
K9s For Warriors pairs service canines with veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress or traumatic brain injury as a result of military service. Professional trainers work with the dogs for several months then introduce them to the veterans, where they receive custom training together.
The service is free for former military personnel, including food and housing while they are on campus.
K9s For Warriors operates out of a home in Ponte Vedra but a facility under development in Nocatee is expected to open in March.
Operation Orion is a community project to raise the funds needed to support the new facility. Each veteran and dog team requires $15,000 to complete the program.
For every person who boards the cruise on Victory II, the company will donate $5 to the effort. A sold-out cruise equates to a $3,000 donation.
Tickets may be purchased at victorycasinocruises.com or by calling (855) 468-4286.
