38 Gift of Giving
Ponte Vedra Recorder ·September 24, 2015
Campaign in full swing for Dreams Come True
Dreams Come True of Jacksonville,
Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia’s only locally based dream-granting organization for local children battling life-threatening illnesses, kicked
off their third annual Dream Day
Fundraising Campaign this month.
The campaign is one of Dreams Come
True’s signature programs, organized
to raise funds for the programs and
services of the nonprofit organization, while also raising money to host
an annual celebration exclusively for
dream children and their families. The
magical celebration, known as Dream
Day, is hosted by PRI Productions in
Jacksonville.
Dream Day was created for the sole
purpose to provide an unforgettable
day for local children and families in
need of a break from their day-to-day
struggles with life-threatening illnesses.
The celebration is part of Dreams
Come True’s Special Times program,
which provides the dream child and
his or her family opportunities to enjoy
special activities they may not otherwise get to experience. It may be dinner at a favorite restaurant, tickets to a
Jacksonville Jaguars game, a relaxing
evening at the movies, a day of beauty,
concert tickets or even a special celebration. Whatever the opportunity,
Special Times reminds the children
and their families they are special and
loved.
Earlier this year, Dreams Come True
hosted their second annual Dream Day
celebration on June 6 at PRI Productions.
Thirty two children and their
families arrived at PRI Productions
by limousine or in one of The Main
Street Cruise’s antique classic cars,
for a grand entrance into Dream
Day. As they arrived, they saw their
name in lights on a jumbo video
screen outside the doors of PRI Productions. Once they stepped out on
the red carpet, they were greeted by
Willy Wonka and several characters,
including Anna and Elsa from Frozen. After an emotional walk down
the red carpet, and a special greeting by members of the Jacksonville
Jaguars, each dreamer was ushered
into PRI Productions for more excitement. Each child was escorted to a
dream station and transformed into
their favorite princess or superhero.
With music, games, magic, food and
fun, the celebration created endless
smiles and memories for the young
heroes in the First Coast Community
who are battling life-threatening illnesses.
“The struggles never end for these
precious dreamers we serve, and
Dream Day is a perfect way to bring
hope and joy in a child’s life when
they need it the most,” said Dreams
Come True Executive Director, Sheri
Criswell. “Not only do we have the
chance to impact a child and their
family outside of their dream, but this
event also allows individuals and businesses in our community to be part of
the magic through their sponsorships
or volunteerism.”
Dreams Come True and PRI Productions are already planning Dream Day
for Saturday, June 11, 2016. The support from local businesses and individuals is needed to help raise funds that
will support the Dream Day celebration and the programs and services of
Dreams Come True. Those interested
in learning more about Dream Day and
the annual Dream Day Campaign, can
visit www.dreamscometrue.org or call
(904) 296-3030.
Annual Community Harvest program benefits Florida non-profits
Carrie Resch
The Recorder
Columbia Restaurant’s annual Community Harvest program is back for the month of September.
Throughout the month, diners at Columbia Restaurant will have a chance to choose a charity for the
restaurant to donate five percent of the guest’s lunch
or dinner bill to the charity of their choice.
There are several Columbia Restaurant locations
located throughout the state of Florida, including a
St. Augustine location, located at 98 Saint George St.
The original Columbia Restaurant was founded in
Tampa’s historic Ybor City in 1905 by Cuban Immigrant Casimiro Hernandez, Sr.
The restaurant is the oldest continuous operating
restaurant in the state of Florida.
Diners can choose from over a dozen local
non-profit organizations including the Betty Griffin
House, St. Augustine Humane Society, Take Stock in
Children, Community Hospice of Northeast Florida,
2 Hearts Adoption Ministry, Boy Scouts of America,
Dreams Come True, Florida School For the Deaf &
The Blind, Friends of the Library, J.P. Hall Children’s
Charities, Laundry Project, Make-A-Wish Foundation,
Moffitt Cancer Center, St. Gerard Campus and St.
Johns Council on Aging.
“We started this program in 1998 as a way to help
many of the worthy non-profit groups that are so
important to our communities,” Richard Gonzmart,
fourth generation family member and president of
Columbia Restaurant said in a news release. “We
thought the best way to do this was by letting our
customers get involved in selecting the organizations. The process is simple. They just put a check
mark next to one of the charitable organizations
listed on a form we provide. They turn it in to their
server. We do the rest, and donate five percent to
charity.”
Since the inception of the program, Columbia Restaurant Community Harvest has donated
more than $1.6 million to non-profit organizations
throughout Florida. The program is now in its 18th
year.
For more information about the Community Harvest program, visit www.columbiarestaurant.com.