RESIDENTNEWS.NET | JANUARY 2021, VOL. 15, ISSUE 01
FIERCELY LOCAL NEWS ... FIERCELY LOYAL READERS
RIVERSIDE . AVONDALE . ORTEGA . MURRAY HILL
Water woes no more After meeting with city officials, Palmer Avenue residents are elated that the Jacksonville Public Works Department has agreed to help implement a solution to solve the backyard flooding that plagues their homes, even on sunny days. READ MORE, PAGE 8
Looking toward 2021 Four local members of the Jacksonville City Council share insights on what may be ahead for their Districts as the new year begins. READ MORE, PAGE 11
United Way receives $20 million, largest gift in its 96-year history
Safely celebrating in style Hightower Emerging Leaders hold mid-term observance at Epping Forest
Members of the Hightower Emerging Leaders Fellowship Board include Monica Hernandez, Lauren Braddock, Chris Warren, Tyler Mathews, Mike Hightower, Obi Umunna, Thomas Lee IV, Ashley Pratt, Diana Donovan, Liam O’Reilly, Andrew Kisz with Gracie Simendinger. READ MORE, PAGE 23
JSO officers are now patrolling the streets of Riverside and Avondale via bicycles.
Sheriff puts bikes on ground in Riverside, Avondale Residents of Riverside and Avondale may be noticing a greater police presence in their community. At the request of District 14 Councilwoman Randy DeFoor, the Jacksonville Sheriff ’s Department has installed a three-officer bike squad in Zone 4. Three policemen are currently patrolling and supporting the businesses and citizenry in Riverside and Avondale on their two-wheelers, but three more will be added to the bike squad in February after receiving special training, said DeFoor. “I said we need more police presence. I wanted boots on the ground, and Assistant Chief Dan Shelton said he would put bikes in place. I’m really excited about this,” DeFoor said, noting that next year she plans to ask to have the bike patrol expanded into Murray Hill and Ortega.
Partnering to improve children’s health Ben Rayfield, Bobby Price, Max Glober of Daily’s with Daily’s President and CEO Aubrey Edge and his son, Ryan, and Dr. Larry Moss, president and CEO of Nemours Children’s Health System turned out to commemorate Daily’s $5 million gift to Nemours Children’s Specialty Care in San Marco Dec. 9. The gift was the largest ever in Nemours history. READ MORE, PAGE 2
Signal of hope
I N H O M E S BY JA N UA RY 5 T H, 2 0 2 1
Eddy Gutierrez receives the COVID-19 vaccine as Baptist Health team members and physicians lined up to receive the first doses at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville Dec. 18. Baptist vaccinated 250 employees the first day and will continue to vaccinate more in the coming weeks as supplies become available. “The is a historic day at Baptist Health,” said Brett McClung, president and CEO of the health system. “This signal of hope is a definite sign that we have reached the beginning of the end of this pandemic.
The United Way of Northeast Florida announced Dec. 16 that it had received a $20 million donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. The gift is the largest single donation in the organization’s 96-year history and underpins the critical role the United Way plays in the community. “We are humbled by this recognition and the show of confidence Ms. Scott placed in us with this gift – and for raising awareness about the critical issues communities like ours are facing,” said Michelle Braun, president and CEO of United Way of Northeast Florida. “This profound commitment is a testament to the work of our team and our partners – and to the meaningful change we accomplish together.” Scott, who is the ex-wife of Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos, has been incredibly generous this season giving away $4.158 billion to nonprofits all over the country. According to “384 Ways to Help,” an announcement on her website, the United Way of Northeast Florida was one of 384 organizations she selected from among 6,940 to receive a piece of the exceptional donation. According to Scott’s announcement, organizations were chosen for their “strong leadership teams and results, with special attention to those operating in communities facing high projected food insecurity, high measures of racial inequity, high local poverty rates, and low access to philanthropic capital.” In her announcement, Scott explained her reasons for giving so generously. “This pandemic has been a wrecking ball in the lives of Americans already struggling. Economic losses and health outcomes alike have been worse for women, for people of color, and for people living in poverty. Meanwhile, it has substantially increased the wealth of billionaires. “It would be easy for all the people who drew the long demographic straws in this crisis to hole up at home feeling a mix of gratitude and guilt and wait for it to be over — but that’s not what’s happening.,” she continued. “The proliferation of community fridges, COVID relief funds, impromptu person-to-person Venmo gifts, viral debt-relief campaigns, and mutual-aid initiatives has been swift and uplifting,” she wrote, pointing to inspiration she received from a 19-year-old Chicago girl who sent a group text to her friends suggesting they buy supplies for people in their neighborhood who had lost their jobs. Within two days, they had raised $7,000. This kind of encouragement “has a special power when it comes from a stranger, and it works its magic on everyone,” she said. Scott’s gifts to the nonprofits, including the United Way of Northeast Florida, will be paid upfront and left unrestricted to provide the nonprofits with the maximum flexibility, she said.
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