A dedicated philanthropist with a passion for community, Parker Alter plays a vital role as a real estate agent helping families find their dream homes and is an avid member of the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club.
Tell me about your background.
I moved to Jacksonville in 1998 and stayed here until about 2009; then, I moved up to Virginia. I came back to Jacksonville in 2020 to be closer to my mom, who lives in Jacksonville Beach. I’m a real estate agent and a member of the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club. I’m a true believer in community. My tagline is “love where you live,” and I think a part of that is being able to give back to the community in some way, small or large. I also have a background in cost marketing and sales, so that’s how I got involved with the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club.
What’s your role with the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club?
I started with the group a little over two years ago, but I took over as a vice president of ways and means a year and a half ago. I’ve got a great team on my committee and we handle all the fundraisers for the club so that we can donate to our charities. Our charities are amazing. We have some great events.
Why did you get involved with the club?
I got involved with the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club because of their philosophy. It’s a social, educational and philanthropic club. When I moved back here in 2020, I had some friends that I knew previously, but I really didn’t have a community anymore because I’d been gone long enough. My mom suggested that we join the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club because she had heard about them and how amazing they were. So, we went together because we wanted something fun to do. We went to a social event and absolutely fell in love with every woman we met, every single one. From there, it kind of started snowballing.
What do you enjoy the most about the club?
I enjoy hearing what our speakers have to say, it’s always great to learn new things. And I love the ability to make new friends that make you feel like a part of a community. As adults, it's really hard to move into an area and find a community, so the club gave me a great balance that I like in my life. It fulfilled that void I had of wanting to do something that felt greater than just myself. Our club is an amazing group of women from all walks of life. We’re a bunch of women who enjoy each other’s company that want to give back to our community through volunteer efforts, fundraising and donations. I think that when you get a group of women together that are like-minded towards a similar goal, there’s nothing you can’t do.
Is the club only for Ponte Vedra residents?
No, you don’t have to live in Ponte Vedra to be a member of our club. We have people who live out in St. Johns, people that live across the river, people from St. Augustine, and even people from Southside. Our members have all different backgrounds. We have business women, we have stay-at-home moms, we have retirees. Our youngest member is 24 years old, and our oldest member is 88 years old. The club has taken on a life of its own for women who come into town and want a place to feel like they’re not only giving back to the community, but being social with each other. I invite anybody to join, or to come out to our gala in the new year.
What are you most looking forward to in the new year?
For the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club, our next big event is our Great Gatsby Gala on Feb. 22, so I’m really looking forward to that. Everyone’s already bought our flapper gowns. We’ll have music and both a silent and live auction. If people in the community would like to be a donor for those auctions, we’re always grateful for that. It’s going to be a great time. We love the fact that we can raise money and have so much fun doing it.
