50th No More

A grassroots group comprised of parents, community members, and educators has emerged. It began with a core group of seven or eight Ponte Vedra and Fruit Cove parents who have become increasingly concerned about the level of funding for education in Florida. When the US Census Bureau revealed that Florida is 50th out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in per capita spending on education, the focus and mission of the group was birthed. In six weeks' time, the group has grown from 8 to 50 or more. If you would be interested in joining, the work of the group to raise awareness of the current state and to advocate for change, f you would like more information or want to be on the e-mail list, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  You can also visit the website at 50thnomore.org. Together, we really CAN make a difference!

Helping Hands

The Helping Hands of St. Johns County recently met and assembled 26 Thanksgiving Dinners for the Christ Cupboard Food Pantry located on Roberts Road at the Celebration Lutheran Church. With the help of Winn Dixie, which donated a turkey and a pie for each family, the group was able to provide a complete dinner as well as household staples for those in need.

On December 12th, the group stuffed 100 Christmas stockings for the Salvation Army. This annual project helps to provide children with new underwear, socks, clothing and toys. They also provided Holiday table favors to local senior centers.

The club will meet on January 30th and work on a fun day they will be providing for the Council on Aging in St. Augustine.

The club is resuming its regular scheduled meetings on the last Friday of the month at Peoples Bank, on CR210, 11:00 a.m. Membership is always open, this volunteer group meets once a month to do small projects that benefit the community. Projects come from members suggestions. The group has no dues, officers or stress. They rely solely on donations of goods and services from the community.

Woman in green is Louise O,Connor, other women are members of the Helping Hands

All suggestions for projects come from the members themselves. We welcome anyone from the community to join us, all you need is a sincere desire to help others. We presently number 70. Helping Hands of St. Johns County meets 11:00 a.m. on the last Friday of the month at Peoples Bank on CR210. For more information, please email Jackie Valyou at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Everyday Heros of Northeast Florida

We can all be heroes. Every day, we are presented with opportunties to give back.

The Board: Michael and Tasha Conching, Jeff and Shea Knauff, Dave and Liz Lavender, Mike and Heather Lister, Clarke and Chris Story.

We created EveryDay Heroes to give back to our community: Local Deeds for Underserved Needs.  Please visit our website www.edheroes.org for more information and updates.