Community briefs for Jan. 7

Posted

Community Fun Day Festival
in St. Johns


Body Control Gym will host a community fun day on Sat., Jan. 9 at its facility at 120 Everest Ln. in St. Johns. The event will be a day of family and neighborly fun with face painting for kids, games, free food, live music and free health assessments. There will also be a raffle, with proceeds benefitting Dreams Come True of Jacksonville.
The event will be hosted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call Body Control at (904) 516-0800.

PACT Prevention Coalition to host ‘Character Counts!’ session


The PACT Prevention Coalition of St. Johns County will host a one-hour “Lunch and Learn” session on the Character Counts! program on Weds., Jan. 13 at noon. All local parents and interested community members are invited to attend this free presentation; lunch will be provided.
To be held in the Kingfisher Room (second floor) of the St. Johns County Health and Human Services Center, 200 San Sebastian View in St. Augustine, the session will feature a presentation by Christina Langston, chief of community relations for the St. Johns County School District. Also speaking will be Bill Spaedt, the St. Johns County teacher on assignment for character education, who will discuss how the Character Counts! program is making a positive impact on local students. Helpful insights will be suggested on how parents and other community members can personally reinforce these important values beyond the school environment.
Character Counts! is a national educational program aimed at instilling good character in our nation’s youth. The program is built on the “6 Pillars of Character”: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. Character Counts! has been proven effective both in creating a school-wide “culture of kindness” and improving academic performance.
To RSVP for this free session, contact Bridget Heenan at BridgetPACT@yahoo.com.

Steve Amerson to perform at First Presbyterian


America’s Tenor, Steve Amerson will perform at First Presbyterian Church downtown on Jan. 23 at 6:00 p.m. and at the 10:30 a.m. Sunday morning worship service on Jan. 24. The Saturday evening performance, Front Row Center, will feature Amerson performing Broadway show tunes and will be preceded by dinner in Covenant Hall.
Amerson was one of three tenors chosen to record demonstration tapes used by Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, and Jose Carreras in preparation for The 3 Tenors performances around the world.
Amerson is also a musical ambassador for the Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation and Society as he sings for their events throughout the United States. In 2009, he was presented the Bob Hope Excellence in Entertainment Award from the Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
His voice can be heard on over 165 feature films and countless television shows and commercials.
“Steve is very talented and accomplished, we are fortunate to bring him to Jacksonville for this exceptional performance,” said Stroud.
“He is extremely versatile with a broad range of voice abilities,” Stroud added. In addition to his performances and voice talents, Amerson provides music for global ministry organizations including Mission India, International Aid, American Bible Society, Bible League, Lancaster Bible College, Overseas Council, ALPHA and Celebrators events.
There is no charge for the concert; dinner reservations ($15 per person) may be made online at www.fpcjax.org or by calling the First Presbyterian office at (904) 354-8439.