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Community Briefs 5/2/19

Clay Today
Posted 5/1/19

Salvation Army’s Empty Bowls fills the plates of the hungryORANGE PARK – The 17th annual Empty Bowls event raised $10,000 to benefit the Salvation Army’s Women’s …

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Community Briefs 5/2/19


Posted

Salvation Army’s Empty Bowls fills the plates of the hungry

ORANGE PARK – The 17th annual Empty Bowls event raised $10,000 to benefit the Salvation Army’s Women’s Auxiliary’s mission to feed hungry people.
Ceramic bowls were created by students from St. Johns Country Day School, Paterson Elementary, Wilkinson Junior High and Oakleaf, Orange Park and Ridgeview highs. The bowls then were filled with soup and sold at the United Methodist Church in Orange Park on Tuesday. Each purchase allowed the buyer to enjoy lunch and keep the bowl.
“Many elected officials, constitutional officers and community leaders came out to eat their soup, pick out a bowl made by a local student and helped support the cause,” said Maj. Phillip Irish of the Clay County Salvation Army.
Local advisory board chairman Randy Boswell said, “Our women’s council has again done a remarkable job, and we are so blessed to have them to help put on this event this year.”


Meeks, Rodrigues, Hartin honored during Clay County Law Day


ORANGE PARK – Maya Meeks won the 2019 Jim Theis Teen Court Scholarship last Tuesday as part of the Clay County Law Day Luncheon at the Thrasher-Horne Center. Meeks accepted the $1,500 award given by the Clay County Bar Association from Debbie Mueller, who recently announced her retirement after running Teen Court for the past 20 years.
Maya’s father, Daniel
John Delancey was the keynote speaker, and he talked about the First Amendment and the right to free speech.
The CCBA Scholarship was given to Steven Rodrigues, while the Lamar Winegeart Pro Bono Award went to Geraldine Hartin.


Volunteers needed at The Clothes Closet and Food Pantry


ORANGE PARK – The National Association of Letter Carriers annual food drive is May 11th. This is the opportunity for local food pantries to replenish their stocks and participate in the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive. A paper or plastic bag will be delivered to mailboxes for the occupants to fill with non-perishable foods in non-breakable containers. Out-dated, opened or damaged containers will be discarded. Canned foods, peanut butter, jelly, condiments and sealed boxed food items are requested.
The Clothes Closet and Food Pantry is seeking help during the food drive. Community Service Hours will be awarded. Food sorting, general assistance with heavy lifting and clean up are needed at St. Catherine's Roman Catholic Church, 1649 Kingsley Ave, Haut Hall on May 11th from 2 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Assistance is also needed at the Kingsley and College post offices especially those with pick-up trucks so that foods can be delivered to St. Catherine's. Children are welcomed accompanied by an adult to help. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn and experience the joy of volunteerism and helping others. Snack and pizza will be available during the late afternoon and water will be available all day.
The Clothes Closet and Food Pantry of Orange Park, which serves northern Clay County, provided a weeks-worth of food, four times a year to 7,380 residents last year. During the Holiday season 1,136 citizens chose to have a basket for Thanksgiving or Christmas which included a turkey or ham, fresh and canned vegetables and trimmings to prepare their feast in the comfort of their own home. The pantry especially needs peanut butter, jelly, breakfast foods, rice, canned meats, pasta sauce, canned pastas, canned fruit, dried milk, condiments, tea, coffee, juices, canned vegetables and baking staples. Small sizes are preferable.
For further information, contact Kathy Wray at (904) 252-8992.

Nominations being accepted to name new Clay County VA Clinic

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho (R-Fla.) is accepting suggestions for a name for the new Clay County Veterans Administration Clinic in Middleburg that’s scheduled to be open in 2020.
Anyone at least 18 years old can submit a nominee. Each nomination must include the suggested name for the clinic, a biography of the person and justification for the submission.
Nominations will be accepted until the close of business on May 5. Forms can be found at Yoho’s official web site, yoho.house.gov.
Yoho then will host a creative workshop and building update on May 6 at the Clay County Supervisor of Elections, 500 N. Orange Ave., Green Cove Springs, at 6:30 p.m.
Residents will be able to vote from a list of all candidates through May 30.
For further information, call Yoho’s office at (352) 505-0838 or visit the Congressman’s web site.

Great idea grants available to support local classrooms

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Clay Education Foundation will award more than $25,000 to over 50 teachers through their second round of Grants for Great Ideas to benefit Clay County teachers and classrooms. It is estimated teachers will spend $600 of their own funds for classroom supplies each year. The program’s mission is to be a resource for teachers and provide the necessary tools and resources for innovative classroom projects.
Applications for the Grants for Great Ideas are open each school year for Clay County teachers to apply and are awarded twice annually. Teachers are currently eligible for up to $500 per grant in the areas of literacy, STEM and career technical education. This year’s grant recipients represent 41 of our 42 Clay County schools with a total impact of over 19,000 students.
The Clay Education Foundation thanks its community partners for their participation and tremendous generosity to benefit Clay County teachers and classrooms.

Heritage Singers of Jacksonville show to benefit two Clay non-profits

ORANGE PARK – The Heritage Singers of Jacksonville will dedicate its afternoon performance at Orange Park’s St. Giles Presbyterian Church on May 19 to Kids First of Florida and the Clay Behavioral Health Center, two non-profits located in Clay County.
Kids First is the lead agency in Clay County serving children and families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, abuse and neglect. Since 2003, Kids First has been providing foster care and adoption services, and it has a responsibility for almost 500 children.
Established in 1982, Clay Behavioral is the lead agency in Clay County serving those in need of mental health services as well as providing treatment and prevention of substance use disorder. The agency currently serves more than 5,000 residents annually.
All net proceeds from the concert will directly benefit the children, adults and families served by both Kids First of Florida and Clay Behavioral Health Center.
There is no admission charge for the performance, but donations will be appreciated.

Keystone Height City Hall selected for 2020 early voting

GREEN COVE SPRINGS – The Keystone Heights City Hall will serve as the early voting sight for the 2020 election cycle, Clay County Supervisor of Elections Chris Chambless said.
The hall, at 555 S. Lawrence Blvd., will replace the city’s tax collector’s office. The new location has more space to accommodate the growing number of voters who find the flexibility of early voting to be more appealing.
Early voting has gained in popularity with nearly 40 percent of county residents taking advantage of casting early ballots, the elections office said.
For other early voting cites, visit the county’s website at www.ClayElections.com or call (904) 269-6350.

Sawyer Brown coming to Thrasher-Horne Center in August


ORANGE PARK – Sawyer Brown is coming to the Thrasher-Horne Center on Friday, Aug. 30, at 8 p.m.
The show is sponsored by 99.9 Gator Country.
Tickets are on sale now, online at THcenter.org or at the Thrasher-Horne Box Office at (904)-276-6815.
The band has more than 4,500 shows and counting, 23 albums, more than 50 chart singles and CMA, ACM, and CMT awards on the shelf. Known for their high-energy, no-holds-barred approach to the concert stage, the band continues to fill venues across the country with the same enthusiasm they have had from day one.
That excitement has been on display since the very first time Sawyer Brown stepped foot onstage in the early 1980s. The band’s live shows are legendary. Having been described as “the Rolling Stones of Country Music,” the band bounds onto the stage night after night, delivering its own unique brand of high-energy country music with songs like “Some Girls Do”, “The Race is on” and “Six Days on the Road.”