In a season where many charities are challenged with fundraising, the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club has more than doubled its giving this year. This financial boost will make a difference in the lives of local St. John’s County women and children.
The charities for June 2024 through May 2026 are:
- Betty Griffin Center: Shelter and services for victims of domestic violence and/or sexual assault
- BEAM: Helping low-income residents in Jacksonville’s beach communities
- Mission House: The only day facility to help meet the needs of people who are homeless at the Beaches through compassion, faith and programs designed to provide assistance at an individual level.
- Port in the Storm: This is the only homeless youth shelter in St. Johns County for ages 18-24
- Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind: Educating students from all over Florida, tuition-free, who are deaf/hearing impaired, blind/visually impaired or deaf and blind.
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The club has not only increased its charitable giving but has also chosen to add to its scholarship funds. The board voted unanimously to move from three scholarships to five this year.
The club’s charities will receive 80% more this year. The club has increased its fundraising efforts with quality events and a huge boost in membership; it now has 190 members.
“I have served for the last two years as the Ponte Vedra Woman’s Club president and am thrilled to have been elected for another two years,” said Anne Urban. “We have doubled our fundraising and our membership this past year.”
The club’s recent Great Gatsby Gala raised funds for the charities.
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Other charities the club has supported in the past include:
- St. Augustine Youth Services — Therapeutic group homes and outpatient services for at-risk youth
- Hugs Across the County — Meeting the need of impoverished youth in St. Johns County
- Gabriel House of Care — Provides affordable temporary housing to medical patients from out of town
- Rethreaded — Benefits victims of human trafficking through business
- Beaches Habitat for Humanity — Builds or refurbishes homes for qualified families in need
- First Coast Cultural Center — Bringing the arts into the life of our community
- Haiti Relief Fund — Providing disaster relief and humanitarian aid to Haitian earthquake victims
- St Francis House — Assisting the homeless in St. Augustine
- St. Gerard Campus — Home, school and support for pregnant teenagers and young mothers
- Youth Crisis Center — Safe shelter and support for at-risk children and youth in the Jacksonville area
- Expanding Your Horizons — Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) conference for girls in fifth through eighth grades.
For further information, go to pontevedrawomansclub.com.
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Contributed photo
