Jacksonville Nonprofits and Charities

In the beginning I felt safe and comfortable but that didn't last long....there were angry, nasty speaking women and troublemakers and the so-called managers knew it but looked the other way. My food was stolen and also my laundry while in the dryer! I was in the kitchen making something to eat and this black girl.....probably in her 20's starting screaming at a little white 3-year-old girl because she was playing with flour on the floor and had spilled some. The 3-year-old was terrified and crying to go to her Gramma's house She was literally shaking while her own m got broom and cleaned it up. The out of control girl verbally threatened and intimidated me I didn't feel safe. About 10 minutes went by and a black manager named Tiffany showed up and said she was "investigating" an incident and she returned in 5 minutes to kick me out. I was astounded and stunned! Who kicks out a 68-year-old female from a DV shelter??? It was obvious she didn't investigate anything! Thanks Tiffany. WOW

Can’t wait till fox13 Tampa runs this story<br>They gave a child to a convicted meth cook <br>They refused public records requests unlawfully <br>Their case workers are rude “on recorded calls”<br>They fail to report ABUSE by a mother to DCFS with which they are contracted with according to their tax documents, when it is recorded taking place<br>They removed a child from a SAFE environment because the child was in a different county than the mother that makes death threats against her safety monitor “police reports hard copies”<br>They discriminated against a medically retired combat vet stating he was “TOXIC” and refused to allow him to be a safety monitor for his own great niece because he was found NOT GUILTY but hey this is America guilty until proven innocent, right

I have zero words for what happened this AM here. We enjoy bringing our children to the Hands on Museum off of Beach Blvd, however, today we went to get an annual membership since the girls love coming here so much and we were denied to put both of our names on the membership because we are not a "Mom and Dad" although they still charged us for the 2 parent membership. <br><br>I literally have NO words for this absurd, homophobic, discriminatory behavior! We will NEVER be back to this place! <br><br>After digging in deeper, we found a "Boycott The Hands on Childrens Museum Jacksonville" fb page. That page was made in 2013 , so NOTHING has changed since then!!<br><br>Shame on this non profit and the horrible homophonic owner who we had the wonderful pleasure of meeting <br><br>

Praise the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm Missionary Evangelist Vincent Magare Beloved from Kenya ????????????????????????Africa. I'm serving the lord reaching out to Muslims for Christ Jesus. I have planted two churches in Muslims communities here in Kenya. Please I'm requesting to partner with you in missions to accomplish the great commission of Christ Jesus. God bless you as I hear from you soon. Amen

My experience with the Jacksonville Zoological Society goes back 70 years.<br>The Zoo property, located on the Trout River, was purchased from my family in 1924-35<br>having been moved from the smaller area in Springfield ten year earlier (1914).<br><br>Since I lived just across Main Street from the Zoo, (my family's property shared a shore<br>line with the Zoo,) it was a place that was like a second home to me. I was indeed<br>a frequent visitor. During those early years, you could drive your car along the path<br>in the zoo so even during bad weather, my parents would take us for a "drive through" if we couldn't walk the path. There wasn't a week that went by that I didn't interact with the animals at the Zoo but Miss Chick was my very favorite. She was our first elephant and was only three years old when she come to our Zoo from a Zoo in Hamburg, Germany.<br>I was fortunate enough to be able to pet her trunk while feeding her peanuts and talked to her as if she was a treasured friend. <br>Living so close to the Zoo, an occasional animal would escape and come onto our property. One late afternoon, when my Dad and brother were coming home and driving behind our house on our property, my brother commented, " Hey Dad, there's a zebra!", to which my Dad replied, "Not my problem", and promptly call the Zoo to report the missing animal.<br>Another time, a bad storm caused several spider monkeys to decide to "jump ship" off the "monkey island" and make their way to our property and the big trees where we had swings.. We fed them and they watched us swing on our rope swings until the Zoo keeper came to collect them. We were happy that the big cats couldn't find their way out of their enclosures.<br><br>My 70 year passion for all that is the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has not stopped. <br>Currently, our Broward Point Preservation non profit is attempting to purchase another 113 acres of Broward Property that can be used to expand their Manatee Rescue and Rehabilitation Programs, making our Zoo the "JEWEL IN THE CROWN" of manatee rescue programs in Florida. We are one of 5 manatee rescue programs in the state but need to expand our program in order to help these gentle mammals survive as their habitats are being destroyed due to massive development in our area.<br>Any one interested in assisting in this effort is urged to go onto our website and read about how we intend to accomplish this mission.<br>Sincerely,<br>Dorothy Parker Gillette<br>226 Broward Road, Jacksonville, Florida 32218<br>gtrmom00@aol.com<br>http://browardpointpreserve.com

4CornersLoveCandles are invested in giving back to the community. As a new small business we vowed to donate a portion of our sales from our message candles and are proud to say we have made a small donation to this organization. We are grateful that we are capable of doing so.

I have been shopping Goodwill for years. I was just at the 34th street one in Gainsville. I have noticed prices have been raising but 30 dollars for a used crockpot is crazy. There were about 10 crock pots there price ranging from 17 to 30 dollars. Why would anyone buy 9ne when they can buy a new one for a few dollars more. I'm going to check out a few more locations and may just quit going

Community Health Outreach is a true nonprofit gem and provides so many services to Jacksonville residents. I began volunteering at CHO and have been upgraded to a board member for the past year with many thanks! The goal remains the same: to feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and heal the sick and they stay true to this vision. Services are provided with compassion, care and respect for all. So happy and proud to nominate CHO as a nonprofit that helps so many people. Come see us and get the volunteer bug-you’re needed too!

I have to say that when we first visited the Gabriel House my spouse and I were reluctant about staying there! True, the place is beautiful, exceptionally immaculate, and the bedrooms are huge. Oh, did I mention the grounds? A park like setting with a beautiful lake. <br>It turned out the common areas, including the dinning room, kitchen, and sitting areas(inside and outside) were great!<br>It gave us the opportunity to meet and learn how others were dealing with and where they were in the transplant world.<br>I can not say enough about the people that work at the Gabriel House of Care.<br>They are a Blessing.<br>G Gladstone

UCOM is a great organization because the people who keep it going truly have a heart to help our neighbors in need. Services and programs are thoughtfully planned and executed to have a greater impact on our clients. Volunteers are the glue that holds it all together, and all help is appreciated. The staff at the Emergency Services Center, where our office and the food pantry is located, is outstanding in the commitment and dedication they show each and every day. God bless this organization and the many people who serve and are served by UCOM!

I am a merchant mariner I once was a knuckle head but changed my life once my mother passed away from cancer I am now married with two daughters and at this time out of work do to a work related injury I want to encourage other minority’s and cultures that anything is possible if you put your mind to it I am a convicted felon also but with God the impossible becomes the possible every time

An incredible organization helping women and men overcome sexual assault. The organization keeps a low overhead and uses donated funds to impact lives daily partnering with JSO and local hospitals to help bring justice to those affected.

As parents, Margaret and I teach our three girls that life is about choices. For better or worse, what we choose to do with our time, talent, and money defines us. Giving financially is important ' it's something that we strongly believe in'but we feel that giving of ourselves is even more important. When we were growing up, our parents set the example of service. Whether it was Margaret's dad taking on the thankless task of running for the State House as a Democrat in Kansas, or my mother breaking ground as the first female President of Temple Beth El in Augusta, we learned from our families. I can't remember a time when my dad wasn't serving on one volunteer board or another. This was something that they, in turn, had learned from their parents: when our daughter was in the Toddler Room at the JCA, every day we would say good morning to the portrait in the hall of my grandfather, Joe Schatz, who served as President of Portland's JCC between 1966-1968.<br /><br />More than a decade ago, we made the choice to leave our careers in New York City and return to Maine. We have a small farm, and we raise our daughters with the example of hard work and responsibility. Service, to our community and our beliefs, is a big part of our family life. We are proud to play an active part in Maine's Jewish community, a legacy that stretches back five generations in my family. Whether we are serving on the board of Levey Day School, leading the Mother's Circle or a challah baking workshop at the J, or inviting the Next Dor families to our farm for havdalah and goat hike, we see community participation as one of the most rewarding aspects of our lives. <br /><br />We are proud to see that our girls have begun following our example, l'dor v'dor. This year, I brought our oldest daughter, Charlotte, who is in 5th grade at Levey, with me to volunteer for the JCA Annual Campaign on Super Sunday. I thought it would be a good experience for her to see me making calls: she could observe, and maybe participate by helping sort donor cards. To my surprise, we were only there a short while before she asked to make a call herself, and successfully solicited a donor for a $300 pledge. <br /><br />Community doesn't happen on its own. It takes the commitment to extend yourself, and to trust that others will do the same. But the rewards are beyond compare. When we choose to share our time and enthusiasm, when we put in the work, we create something larger than ourselves. <br />

When I asked my thirteen year old granddaughter, Lilian, what she wanted for Christmas she said she would like to help needy children. She gave me this link which she learned through her school, Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Her angel heart makes me so proud. She has learned a valuable lesson that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

Thanking Bridget:<br>Community Hospice of Northeast Florida<br>http://communityhospice.com/<br><br>It's been almost 18 years since my mother passed away after a 6 month, brutally hard battle with colon cancer. Because she was only in her 40s, she felt the pressure to fight as hard as she could to be a survivor even though her diagnosis came way too late.<br><br>She went through surgeries, chemotherapy, hair loss, and all of the other ghastly side effects of cancer treatment. The never ending trips to the hospital for lab work, CT scans, etc. were a fulltime job for us.<br><br>After about 3 months, she decided she'd had enough of chemotherapy so she opted for the alternative medicine route which included more tortuous treatments and a lot of false hope but she was determined to not to give up. The word 'survivor' has become inextricably linked to cancer so she had somehow absorbed the message that not surviving was a personal failure - her fault for not 'fighting' hard enough.<br><br>The result was that toward the end, she was sleepless, incoherent with pain, and prone to rage. She was adamant that I not call hospice because that meant she had given up and failed. In desperation, I called her oncologist who told me to call them anyway and tell them the situation.<br><br>I can never repay that hospice team for what they did for her, and for me, in those final 2 weeks before she died. They took off their hospice badges when they went in her room and identified themselves as a home health agency. I'm sure she knew who they were but they allowed her to have the space she needed to feel like she was continuing to fight.<br><br>Every member of the team made our lives better in some way at the end. The nurse got my mom's pain under control. The counselor reassured me that it was okay that she was mad - of course she was mad to be dying in her 40s. It didn't mean she was having a 'bad' death because she didn't cycle through arbitrary stages. Even the minister was a comfort and we weren't religious people.<br><br>But the person who had the most impact was the volunteer. She was a red-haired lady who had lost her son to cancer and she had this magical softness and empathy that allowed her to break through my mom's rage and denial. I overheard them talking and for the first time, I heard her cry and talk about not getting to meet her grandchildren someday. <br><br>Because of Bridget, I think I realized that her fight wasn't just about surviving because she was too young to die. She wanted to survive for me too. And she wanted to survive so she could meet my children. <br><br>My mom was a lot calmer after Bridget's visits and because her pain was under control. So, after five and a half months of a terrible nightmare, we had some lovely, peaceful days at the end because of Bridget and the whole hospice team. <br><br>Because of what they did for us, I volunteer a bit of time (and money whenever I'm able) when my kids are in school to sit with terminal patients who are with Community Hospice. I know I can never live up to how magical Bridget was but I hope that I can repay her a little bit by trying to be someone else's Bridget and maybe bring comfort to another family.<br>#mygivingstory

Daniel is an amazing organization based in Jacksonville. I was introduced to the organization through a school supply drive that our company did to benefit their programs. The leadership is enthusiastic and clearly cares about the children they serve tremendously. The Backyard BBQ championship they hold each year has become one of my family's favorites. Keep it up Daniel!

A group dedicated to the health of women and responsible parenting. I have been there many times over for routine screenings, free contraceptives, and the informative and caring staff on site. I started using planned parenthood for these services in my youth and have always felt it was a gift to the community.

I personally volunteered at the Shoot For Justice on May 9,2014. This is such a great organization to be apart of. The staff is so friendly. The shoot was awesome to be out there with all the sheriffs competing for the trophy.

Former donor. Once you give, they send so much mail. All the time. Every month they ask for money. On a budget. It's to much. Not sure if my money was going to help homeless or so much mail.

Linda is amazing and so are the coaches at this field. I registered my 4 year old in Fall of 2013 and had Melissa as our coach. She was great with the kids and they really get the parents involved as much as possible. It is a great way for your little one to make friends and not just them but the parents as well. My son and I both can't wait for Spring 2014 to start.

We are looking for coaches that are both new and experienced in the field of coaching youth football ages 5 to 14. Our team is the Wesconnett Wildcats. We are a 2nd year park, we play home games at Orange Park Jr. High School and practice at Wesconnett Athletic Association on the Westside. We will set up a meeting to see if you fit in with our coaching staff. Also at this meeting bring any and all questions you have, along with your philosophy. <br>A football coach must possess strong communication and problem-solving skills, and be highly organized and innovative. He needs to have the ability to motivate and delegate, and understand how to improve both individual players and the team as a whole. He should also own good analytical skills, as he spends a lot of time observing obstacles (and opponents) and how his team can overcome them. Must have in-depth, comprehensive knowledge of football and its rules, and have years of experience playing and teaching the sport. <br>Other duties include managing and instructing team members in an effort to win games, motivating football players before and during competitive events, and analyzing team strengths and weaknesses, while instituting game strategies based on such information. Head football coaches are also responsible for maintaining records regarding team performances. <br> <br>We are accepting applications in person Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. <br>Wesconnett Athletic Association: <br>4717 Wesconnett Blvd. Jacksonville FL 32210 <br>www.facebook.com/waajax <br> <br>Volunteer Position. Must be at least 18 to assistant coach. Must pass a background check. <br>Mandatory practice starts July 22, 2013 <br>Regular season games: Aug - Oct <br>Regional and Nationals Oct - Jan <br>. <br>

Progressive, smart leadership, financially sound and interested in providing opportunities for individuals with Intellectual disabilities to soar. Inclusive College program at University of North Florida with residential option, Summer independent living experience for 4 weeks, supplemental special needs pooled trust, low cost guardianship guidance, excellent advocacy for parents and individuals with I/DD. a new neighborhood for semi independent living for individuals with I/DD, in the heart of Jacksonville - private one and two bedroom apartments with amenities for an active lifestyle. Program offerings also include well designed day programs and group homes. Different levels of activities for the varying needs of the individuals receiving services. Call 904-355-0155 for more or visit www.arcjacksonville.org

I am really disappointed to read the status of PAL as rated here. Living in St. Pete, it is an organization my husband supported for many years. When he died, the end of last year, I thought responding to a phone solicitation from PAL, in January, would be a great way to remember all he did for various people. PAL was so well known here, locally, I never thought to check them out on Charity Navigator, as I usually do with charity solicitations, and I usually never give over the phone. <br> <br>Then I was called a second time, the first part of May with the implication I had not paid my previous pledge. After responding with a credit card, on the phone, I checked my statements, only to find that, not only had I paid by credit card on the phone, in January, but also received a dun notice for lack of payment in that month. So, in my confusion and pain, following my husband's death, I had given twice to this charity (and almost three times), substantially more than I usually give any charity annually. <br> <br>Had I checked it out, on Charity Navigator, I would have found that it is an entirely different organization than the one we supported, locally, for so many years, as it is now far more interested in sticking money in its own pockets, than helping local kids in trouble. THANK YOU CHARITY NAVIGATOR. I WON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE AGAIN.

I mentored a sixth grade student last school year and had a great experience. The match meeting went well. We went on a school tour, I received a packet of information on my stuent and useful activites. The staff memeber I worked with, Yolanda, works at the school so I could always contact her when I had questions or even concerns. She had several resources located in her office and welcomed us meeting there. I was also able to tell Yolanda when I was coming to meet my mentee so she could ensure my mentee was in school that day. The student no longer attends that school so I've decided to start mentoring a new student in January.

This organization beyond exceeded my expectations. I have visited Christianville 3 times now and have been impressed every time. God truly has his hand on the area, leaders, and volunteers. The things that have been taking place are incredible. Chicken coops are being set up in places that need them, kids are being served, buildings are going up, medical teams are helping and labs are developing. I am truly blessed to be involved in this ministry and I know only great will come of it.