Amelia Community Theatre
Press Release By Linda McClane April 12, 2021 Amelia Community Theatre continues its 40th season with the comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest.” This adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s most popular play will be at 8 p.m. on April 16-17, 22-24, 29-30, May 1, and at 2 p.m. on April 18 and 25 at 207 Cedar Street. Set in 1890s England, the show satirizes the preoccupation with social position and income, marriage, and the concept of “earnestness” which implied seriousness or sincerity. Characters Jack and Algernon are two friends who separately engage in what they consider harmless deceptions. Jack uses the name “Jack” at his country home, and “Ernest” as an alter-ego when he stays in London. He tells his country friends that Ernest is his wicked brother. Whenever Algernon wants to avoid something, he claims that he must visit his invalid friend Bunbury, a fictional man he has created. Everything changes when Jack falls in love with Gwendolyn and Algernon declares his love for Cecily, because each woman insists that she will only marry a man named Ernest. Algernon pretends to be Jack’s brother Ernest, while Jack contemplates the demise of the imaginary sibling. Jack’s plans are further complicated by Gwendolyn’s mother, Lady Bracknell, who objects to his background of being an abandoned baby, found in a handbag. She says, “You can hardly imagine that I and Lord Bracknell would dream of allowing our only daughter to form an alliance with a parcel.” “The Importance of Being Earnest,” first performed in 1895, continues to be a favorite choice for stage performances. ACT’s cast includes Audrey Antee, Tyla Holloway, Trey Stafford, Joseph Stearman, Peggy Strickland, Ron Thompson, Michael Waskew, and Sue Weiner. Director Tener Wade says, “This cast brings every moment of the show to life. Each character says the most absurd things with a straight face, which isn’t easy to do.” Tickets are available for in-person and livestream viewing. ACT has increased the audience seating capacity to 50%, while still following Covid-19 recommendations for distancing and masks. In-person tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for students through college; livestreaming tickets are $15 for an individual and $30 for a household. The ACT box office hours are 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Call 904-261-6749 or visit the website at AmeliaCommunityTheatre.org for tickets and more information.
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The St. Marys Riverkeeper and Keep Nassau Beautiful Host the 23rd Annual St. Marys River Cleanup4/12/2021 Nassau County, Florida, April 12, 2021. In celebration of Earth Day the St Marys Riverkeeper and Keep Nassau Beautiful are sponsoring a cleanup of the St Marys River and surrounding waterways on Saturday April 24, 9am - 11am.
The St Marys River is 130 miles long, winding through four counties in two states. More than 60,000 residents depend on the health of the river for tourism, recreation, commercial fishing, and safe drinking water. Wildlife and plant ecosystems rely on the continued cleanliness of the watershed, including 3,000 miles of streams and tributaries. Because of the pandemic, it has been two years since our last cleanup, and we need your help. Site Captains will be available to distribute supplies at twelve Nassau County sites. Supplies include disposable gloves, personal cloth logo masks, and trash bags. Hand sanitizer will be available. Volunteers should consider wearing long pants and closed-toe shoes and bringing their own gloves, sunscreen, bug spray, and a reusable water bottle. All CDC recommended Covid safety practices will be implemented. Volunteers for the river clean up event will receive free standard 2021 St. Marys Riverkeeper membership. To ensure an adequate number of supplies, volunteers should pre-register: https://keepnassaubeautiful.org/news-and-events/ For more information KNB@KeepNassauBeautiful.org or 904-261-0165. Keep Nassau Beautiful, Inc. is working to inspire, educate, and equip individuals, groups, businesses and governments to take action to make Nassau County a place where residents, visitors and wildlife can thrive and experience the beauty of Nassau County. www.keepnassaubeautiful.org The St. Marys Riverkeeper (SMRK) is a nonprofit environmental organization devoted to protecting and enriching the St. Marys River watershed through water quality monitoring, education and advocacy. www.stmarysriverkeeper.org The City of Fernandina Beach is excited to host its annual household hazardous waste/recycle event and food drive on Saturday, April 17, from 8:00am until 12:00pm, at the Public Works complex (1017 S. 5th Street). This event is intended for residents only, not for commercial use.
Acceptable items include aluminum cans; appliances; batteries; cardboard; electronics; filters; fluorescent bulbs; glass/plastic bottles; hazardous chemicals; paint; propane tanks; scrap metal; tires (4 per household); waste oil. Paper shredding will also be available. Participants are asked to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Barnabas food pantry. In 2019, over 950 vehicles visited the City's Public Works complex for this event. Thirty cubic yards of paper were shredded, 3 tons of tires recycled, and 310 gallons of waste oil was recycled. In addition, nearly 2,200 pounds of food was donated to the Barnabas Center food kitchen. We hope to donate even more this year! New this year, the City’s Planning and Conservation Department is partnering with Keep Nassau Beautiful for a tree giveaway. Residents (within City limits) are invited to receive up to two 1-gallon or 3-gallon trees. Visit keepnassaubeautiful.org/programs/planting-nassaus-future for links to Tree Fact Sheets, a YouTube video on proper tree planting and maintenance, and the Free Tree Reservation Form. MUST PRE-REGISTER! If you are unsure if you live within the City limits, please call (904) 310-3480. Nassau County Council on Aging
Press Release Submitted by Liz Dunn April 8, 2021 Caregivers are often the unsung heroes in the lives of loved ones, but caregivers need care themselves. If you are a caregiver, please mark your calendar for the organizational relaunch meeting of Nassau County Council on Aging’s (NCCOA’s) Caregiver Support Group on Tuesday, April 20 from 9:30 am – 11:30 am via Zoom, https://bit.ly/3uyeWbw. Register for the meeting at https://conta.cc/3cXjRN1 (registration is not required, but encouraged). Future meeting dates and times will be based on participants’ schedules; in-person meetings will be offered at a later date. Caregiving can be a challenge. In NCCOA’s Caregiver Support Group, meeting with peers who have common concerns provides a safe and welcoming environment – a place where you can be yourself, be encouraged, accepted and recognized. Participants benefit from useful information, support, wisdom and insight of others. The support group also provides a forum for problem solving and problem sharing; strategies to cope with stress, worries and fears; and an opportunity to combat isolation. If you are one of America’s 40 million caregivers or are considering becoming a caregiver, please attend this organizational meeting. There is no charge to attend support group meetings, and NCCOA membership is not required. For more information, contact Emily Kunzelmann at 904-775-5472 or ekunzelmann@nassaucountycoa.org. Amelia Island, FL - Osprey Village Senior Living will host its Grand Opening for the
community’s new indoor pool on Friday, April 9th. The ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 1:30pm followed by tours of the pool and community throughout the afternoon. In addition to the community’s current wellness center and fitness studio, the pool will add another avenue for residents to participate in low-impact cardiovascular-based workouts year-round. “We are extremely excited for the pool opening, this is going to further enhance our Members health, well-being and ultimately increase the longevity of our Member's lives,” says Matthew Barger, executive director of Osprey Village. “It’s a great addition and we’ll be able to use the pool in conjunction with our 3 nationally recognized aquatics and wellness programs”. The 640 square foot saltwater pool and building were designed by Triad Design Group. Construction on this project began on July 24, 2020 and was completed on March 26, 2021 by Elkins Construction, LLC (based out of Jacksonville, FL). This $1.4 million addition to Osprey Village strengthens the community’s mission of helping seniors live longer, healthier, happier lives. About Osprey Village Osprey Village is located at 48 Osprey Village Drive, Fernandina Beach, Florida. The community offers Active Adult Living, Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care and Senior Rehabilitation. To learn more about Osprey Village, call the community’s Lifestyle Advisors at (904) 277-6546 or visit Osprey-Village.com Barnabas Center Nassau Press Release Submitted by Alexandra Winsor April 7, 2021 Now more than ever, it is a perfect time to celebrate people helping people who are in need! April is National Volunteer Month, which highlights the contributions of volunteers and encourages people to donate their time to a local, national, or global cause. Accordingly, Barnabas is celebrating Pastor Brian Winburn, who is the perfect example of how even one volunteer can make a significant impact in his community. Two years ago, Pastor Winburn moved to Nassau County to serve at Springhill Baptist Church. Many years before this, church members formed a team to create a solution to reach people experiencing hunger in the community. The church’s Community Meals program began feeding hundreds of people per month. Then the pandemic impacted their program, increasing the need for food. “At our Community Meals events, we were helping people from all walks of life,” said Pastor Winburn. “We knew we needed to reach even more people, especially when COVID-19 hit. People were having trouble paying bills and buying food. When we called Renee Stoffel, Barnabas Community Outreach Manager, to inquire about a potential partnership, she immediately said, ‘I’m coming to you. Let’s start a food distribution.’ We knew we’d soon be able to help more people in need.” Every month, 20-30 new people come to the Barnabas food distributions held at the church. “I get so much joy out of serving. Seeing my church family helping neighbors in need at our food events makes my heart full of appreciation. At every distribution, I talk to people who tell me how rough life has been,” said Pastor Winburn. “We need to come together and give these people hope. We must continue to show them that Barnabas, Springhill Baptist Church, and Nassau County care about them." Barnabas is grateful to its many volunteers who generously donate their time and talents to improving our community. Last year, more than 400 active volunteers contributed over 15,000 hours of service to help individuals and families through Barnabas programs that include a food pantry and mobile food distributions, crisis assistance, medical and dental services, and the New to You resale store.
For information about Barnabas’ volunteer program, contact Kim Cherry, Barnabas Volunteer Coordinator at (904) 261-7000 ext. 118 OR kcherry@barnabasnassau.org. For more information about Barnabas’ programs, please visit www.BarnabasNassau.org. Starting Point
Press Release Submitted by Justin Bradshaw April 6, 2021 Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare is now an approved site through the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) and able to offer all eligible employees up to $100,000 of student loan forgiveness. The NHSC’s mission is to build healthy communities by supporting qualified health care providers dedicated to working in areas of the United States with limited access to care. “One of the things I believe we do well as a company is offering a robust benefits package,” says Laureen Pagel, CEO at Starting Point. In order to care for the individuals we serve, it is my personal belief that we must extend a similar level of care to our staff. Providing student loan forgiveness is a strategy to both recruit and retain excellent healthcare professionals. We are thrilled about this opportunity because it enhances the benefits for our amazing employees and elevates the care we are bringing to our Nassau County neighbors.” Starting Point is an approved site for three different types of NHSC forgiveness: The Loan Repayment Program, the Rural Community Loan Repayment Program, and the Substance Use Disorder Workforce Loan Repayment Program. Each type of loan forgiveness has distinct award amounts, requires different levels of service commitments, and has specific eligibility criteria. For more information, please visit Starting Point’s careers page https://www.spbh.org/careers/ or the NHSC Loan Repayment site https://nhsc.hrsa.gov/loan-repayment/index.html. About Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare Starting Point Behavioral Healthcare provides mental health and substance abuse treatment services to children, teens and adults in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. The non-profit agency serves more than 3,000 individuals each year and has been serving the region for more than 28 years. Starting Point is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). For more information, please visit www.spbh.org. April 6, 2021 (Jacksonville, Fla.) – Honoring Choices Florida, Florida’s advance care planning initiative supported and coordinated by Community Hospice & Palliative Care, along with other national, state and community organizations, are leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance healthcare decision-making—an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day. As a participating organization, Honoring Choices Florida is providing information and tools for the public to talk about their wishes with family, friends and healthcare providers, and execute written advance directives (healthcare surrogate and living will) in accordance with Florida state laws. These resources are available at https://www.honoringchoicesfl.com.
Honoring Choices Florida and Community Hospice & Palliative Care welcomes the public to join in an important online discussion to learn more about advance planning during the following sessions: April 14, 2021 - http://bit.ly/AdvanceCarePlanningNHDD1 April 15, 2021 - http://bit.ly/AdvanceCarePlanningNHDD2 As a result of National Healthcare Decisions Day, many more people in our community can be expected to have thoughtful conversations about their healthcare decisions and complete reliable advance directives to make their wishes known. Fewer families and healthcare providers will have to struggle with making difficult healthcare decisions in the absence of guidance from the patient. Healthcare providers and facilities will be better equipped to address advance healthcare planning issues before a crisis and be better able to honor patient wishes when the time comes to do so. For more information about National Healthcare Decision Day, please visit http://nhdd.org. About Community Hospice & Palliative Care Established in 1979, Community Hospice & Palliative Care is an innovative national leader in palliative and hospice care, as well as providing programs and services to meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves. During its 42-year history, through the support of more than 1,000 employees and 1,000 volunteers, the organization helps approximately 1,600 patients per day to live better with advanced illness – at home, in long-term care and assisted living facilities, in hospitals and at its 10 inpatient care centers. No one is ever denied care due to an inability to pay. To learn more about the support and services of Community Hospice & Palliative Care, visit CommunityHospice.com ![]() [Jacksonville, FL – 05 April 2021 – In a sign of rising passenger traffic, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA) today reopened Economy Lot #1 at Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), one year after it was closed due to the downturn in air travel. Economy Lot #1 re-opened on the same day that an estimated 7,500 passengers will fly out of Jacksonville – the highest single day for travel out of JAX in more than a year. “As people feel safe being in airport terminals and flying in airplanes again, we want to be ready for the increase in traffic,” JAA CEO Mark VanLoh said. “Given the updated guidance from the CDC on vaccinated people traveling, that could happen very soon.” On Friday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued updated guidance on travel for fully vaccinated people. A few operational changes are now in place that travelers should be aware of prior to parking in Economy Lot #1:
Economy lot rate remains the same – only $6/day. |
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