USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C o m mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia-S a n t a Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 19, No. 50
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
December 25, 2019
1 Section, 8 Pages
HOW TO HELP: WAYS TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY YOU LOVE
by Scott Emerline
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olunteering in the community is an amazing way to close out the year. This holiday season, consider showing our local community that you care by supporting local charities and non-profit organizations. Giving back to your community can be as simple as filling out a quick form, a short phone call to see what a local soup kitchen may need donated or making monetary donations to local charities. No matter what you choose, Pensacola has plenty of ways to help out, and if none of these projects interest you or meet your schedule, there are more available on volunteermatch.org.
Project Connect
Project Connect serves our community by helping at-risk children stay on the right track and increase employability in the future. This organization is currently looking for mentors to be role models for kids who are attempting to transition from a residential program for delinquent children to their home communities. Project Connect offers both individual and group mentoring for its participants and promotes life skills and the development of professional skills. For more information, visit projectconnectfl.org.
Park Cleanup
Tired of seeing litter in our local parks? Around Pensacola, various cleanups are held to improve our parks and keep the local environment beautiful. Park cleanups ensure that the community stays pristine and that everyone gets to enjoy the local area. Between the 2018 and 2019 cleanups, Ocean Hour collected over 17,000 pounds of trash out of local parks. Every month, cleanups take place at Bay Bluffs Preserve and Chimney Park on the second Saturday and at Wayside and Bartram Parks on the third Saturday. For more information, visit oceanhourfl. com or check out Ocean Hour on Facebook.
Palafox Market Volunteer
If you’re a fan of the Saturday Palafox Market, maybe the best volunteer job for you could be helping the Downtown Improvement Board keep the market going by volunteering to set up the market, help it run and clean up after it’s over. While the market is open, volunteers are assigned only two hour blocks, which allows this job to work around your schedule. After you’re done volunteering, you can enjoy what the market has to offer. If you are interested in volunteering, contact dib@downtownpensacola.com.
Animal Allies Florida If you’re an animal lover and would like to help a cat find a home, Animal Allies Florida is an animal shelter whose goal is to reduce the number of animals that must be put down in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The organization is looking for volunteers that would be happy to care for and spend a few hours with the foster cats. Animal Allies could also
use volunteers to help them organize and execute fundraising and adoption events. If you would be interested in coming to their foster homes one day a week and socializing with the cats for just two hours or helping them set up events, visit ecaafl.org.
To help Loaves & Fishes, volunteers simply need to fill out an online form on its website, or because the holidays are a busy time for everyone, donations are always an option. More information is available at loavesandfishessoupkitchen.com.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Holiday Maker’s Market
Big Brothers Big Sisters is in need of caring adults who would be happy to mentor young children currently facing struggles and adversities in their personal lives. Mentors are asked to spend a few hours with a child that lives in their community twice a month and be an active positive role model in a child’s life. Currently, the local Big Brother Big Sisters agency has over one hundred and fifty children on its waiting list. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida marks its 30th anniversary this year. The fundraising from their 30th year anniversary will benefit their new campaign, Bold Steps, which expands its program to better serve the local community’s underprivileged youth. If you would like to become a mentor or donate to its Bold Steps campaign, visit bbbsnwfl. org or call 850-433-5437
Loaves & Fishes
Organized in 1983, Loaves & Fishes Soup Kitchen has been around for more than 30 years and helps feed around 4,600 people each month. The kitchen is largely supported by donations to the organization by our local community. Loaves & Fishes also offers emergency shelter for up to 10 families at a time and offers a transitional housing program, which helps provide shelter for homeless families for a period of two years.
WE’RE SOCIAL
On December’s gallery night, the Rising Tides Society will be sponsoring a Holiday Maker’s Market at 1 Palafox Place where proceeds will benefit The Secret Place, a charitable foundation that seeks to help the survivors of human trafficking by providing young women the chance to recover from trauma in a safe environment. The event will feature a silent auction as well as local makers who will be selling last minute Christmas gifts. This Maker’s Market gives you a chance to wrap up your holiday shopping while benefitting a good cause.
Council of Aging: Heaters for Seniors
The sudden, unexpected temperature drop in Northwest Florida has highlighted the challenge many senior adults are faced with in the colder months. Without dependable sources of adequate heating, vulnerable elders are subject to extreme discomfort and health complications. Each year, Council on Aging of West Florida provides brand-new space heaters to these individuals to keep them warm during the colder Florida months of November, December, January and February. If you are interested in donating visit www.coawfla.org.
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