Couple’s love story extends to community
A familiar sight to anyone driving or walking past Stinson Park is Ronald and Carol Easter, walking their rambunctious black Maltipoos Callie and Abbey as they collect trash in the picturesque riverfront park on the Fairfax side of the Ortega Bridge. Married 48 years, the couple care deeply for each other – and for the […]
Noah and Sarah Marks
The Marks, both architects, met at the University of Florida, married and moved to their San Marco home in 2012. Noah works for Kasper Architecture and Sarah is with Gresham, Smith & Partners. Through participation in company volunteer community service projects, they quickly felt part of Jacksonville. “Two months before the first One Spark Festival, […]
Go Giver – Natalie Schoof
Volunteering was nurtured in Natalie Schoof’s soul from an early age. “I’m so blessed because I’ve had a family that cares for others…my sister Aimee, a film producer in California, started a yoga program for homeless shelters entirely taught by volunteer yoga instructors she recruited,” said Schoof. “My mom, Stephanie, was the world’s greatest ‘band […]
Lee Mercier
Lee Mercier remembers how hard his father worked as a General Electric Plant employee when he was growing up in Trenton, New Jersey. He also remembers his father volunteering to serve on the board of an orphanage, where Mercier attended Christmas parties for children who looked sad despite their gifts. Later, he learned that those […]
Marty Clark
As the mother of two children diagnosed with ADHD, a common childhood neurological developmental disorder that affects concentration and school performance, Ortega Forest resident Marty Clark had a lot of questions. One way Clark was able to get answers was to attend CHADD (Children & Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) of Duval County monthly meetings. CHADD’s […]
Go Givers – Leslie Burkhalter
On November 18, 1999 Leslie Burkhalter’s life changed forever. She noticed that her son Tyler, 11, had lost five pounds and was constantly thirsty, symptoms she recognized from his friend Ben who was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes Type 1 (JD1) two years earlier. Burkhalter took Tyler straight to his pediatrician, where an abnormal blood sugar […]
Go Giver: Julie Jacob
Julie Jacob, 30, credits her University of Central Florida sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, with introducing her to community service. Throughout college she helped many charities, but felt a special bond with children staying at the local Ronald McDonald House, which provides temporary housing for families of seriously ill or injured children to stay nearby while […]
Go Giver: Phyllis Stubbs
Phyllis Stubbs, 82, is a quiet lady and a bit shy, until she warmly greets the critically ill and injured children and their families who travel to Jacksonville hospitals and medical centers for care and treatment. Truth is, there is no one better than this gentle retiree to understand the stress and fear that parents […]
