GO GIVERS: Kayla Johnson
Kayla Johnson,
22, is a Jacksonville native who lives right on the edge of San Marco where it
joins San Jose and has always felt part of both neighborhoods. She will soon
graduate with her degree in early childhood education and the goal of
continuing on to earn her master’s degree. Johnson’s volunteer work at DLC
(Developmental Learning Center) Nurse & Learn began as a fulfillment of her
degree requirement, but became much more. She believes it confirmed and
strengthened her desire to specialize in the field of special education.
“Since
I was a very little girl, I would pretend that I was teaching my dolls for
hours on end, according to my mother. I think I have always known that I would
teach children, but did not realize I would be so strongly drawn to those with
special needs. I just enjoy interacting with these special kids,” she said.
Johnson
praised the DLC for its inclusion classes, which bring normally developing
children together with children who have disabilities or special needs. Playing
and learning together at such a young age is wonderful for both groups,
according to Johnson.
“There
are not enough programs available that offer inclusion classes, nor are there
enough openings in those classes for all the children who could benefit. The
children play and learn alongside each other and accept their many differences
in such a natural way. It is a beautiful thing to see them all so happy to be
together and to know they will grow into more compassionate and understanding
adults as a result of their experience in such a diverse, inclusive school,”
Johnson said.
DLC
is only the latest community involvement for Johnson, who began to volunteer
during her teens. For three summers, ten hours a week, during high school,
Johnson helped children complete creative arts and crafts projects at Nemours
Children’s Clinic while they waited for their appointments.
Johnson
not only has a heart for children with disabilities and chronic conditions, she
also is very aware of the many children who face separation that may be long-term
or permanent from one or both parents. She is a longtime supporter of
Angel Tree Christmas, a program of Prison Fellowship. The organization is a
non-profit, Christian charity that sponsors Angel Tree Christmas as a way to
help imprisoned parents maintain their bond with their children. The program
seeks to connect imprisoned parents with their families through the delivery of
Christmas gifts. More than 1.7 million children spend Christmas separated from
their mom or dad, according to the organization.
Prison
Fellowship also offers many other programs for inmates and their families,
according to Johnson. The children of inmates suffer during the separation and
can best be described as the invisible, often forgotten victims of their
parent’s mistakes. Prison Fellowship is the only national ministry to focus
attention on the children of inmates. Their research has shown that 1 in 3
prisoners is a parent and approximately 75% of women prisoners are mothers.
“Prison
Fellowship is such a great organization because not only do they make sure a
parent in prison can give his or her child a gift at Christmas, but they work
to help the inmates and families in so many different ways. They also assist
inmates in the difficult task of assimilating back into their families and the
community when they are released,” Johnson said.
Not
surprisingly, Johnson’s mother Myra Johnson is also a teacher. She instructs
Spanish at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts and has been a volunteer in the
community. Mrs. Johnson coordinated the Dreams Come True group at Douglas
Anderson. Johnson’s brother Kyle, 19, and an FSCJ student, was an active
volunteer while in high school who was honored with a scholarship for his
efforts.
“I’m
sure that my mother’s volunteer and career activities helped instill in me the
interest in helping others, and also the love of learning and teaching
children. My passion is inspiring kids to want to learn more, whatever their
challenges may be,” she said. “I know that even when I finish school and begin
my career, I will still find time to volunteer in some capacity. I also love
animals and would like to help out at an animal shelter.”
With
her classes and internship, Johnson has little free time as she nears
graduation, and has had to give up most other activities for now. She is a
member of Lakewood United Methodist Church where she attends with her mother,
brother, and her father, Gene Johnson. Gene is the director of media for The
Dalton Agency. The fifth and furry member of the Johnson family is Teyton,
Kayla’s rescue mutt.
“When
I finish my master’s degree and get settled into my career, I look forward to
taking up yoga classes, something I’ve always wanted to try. As far as looking
ahead farther into the future, some friends and I were just sitting talking
about how we would all like to own a business someday. I don’t know what it
might be yet, but that is definitely a dream in the back of my mind—something
to look forward to after I retire from teaching,” she said.
Venetia students reach new heights with climb, roundup
Fifth-graders
at Venetia Elementary School completed a Youth Leadership Values Training
Program last month. Sponsored by the Army National Guard, the program taught
children about loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and
personal courage through games like Army Dodge Ball, Capture the Flag and Spell
Bomb. Sergeant Jamaal Burris led the group activities. At the end, students
were challenged to set goals, overcome fears and climb a 15-foot rock wall.
Meanwhile,
first-graders at the school celebrated Western-style with a “First Grade
Round Up” performance at the January PTA meeting. The students shared
jokes and sang songs to the delighted crowd.
Lincoln visit inspires winning essays
The National
Society of the Colonial Dames of America treated fifth-graders from 17 local
public and private schools to a presidential encounter last month. As they have
for the past several years, the group organized a two-day appearance by a
historical character — and this time, it was President Abraham Lincoln (aka
historical actor Dennis Boggs from Tennessee).
An
essay contest was also part of the American history experience. This year’s
neighborhood school winners included: a tie between Bolles School fifth-graders
Jacqueline Enas and Madison Clubb; Carter Stankard from Riverside Presbyterian
Day School; a tie between John Stockton Elementary School fifth-graders, Dana
DeShone and Jade Croft; and Alexa Senan from Pine Forest Elementary School.
Organizers
said the children learned many interesting facts about Lincoln, and the
importance of staying in school and reading.
Bishop Kenny students sign for scholarships
Four members of
the Bishop Kenny High School senior class signed letters of intent to play
football on National Signing Day on Feb. 1. Congratulations to the
following scholarship winners: Steven Cornellier, Air Force Academy;
Desmond Huff, Gardner Webb University; Will Lewis, University of Delaware; and
Bobby Wolford, Boston College.
Episcopal athletes sign with universities and colleges
A group of Episcopal School
of Jacksonville athletes is preparing for the next chapter of their sports
careers — college. The local school announced several students have signed with
colleges and universities around the country including: Jacob Addington, crew,
Boston Univesity; Conor Clark, lacrosse, Swarthmore College; San Marco resident
Celeste Glober, soccer, Wellesley College; San Marco resident Sebastian
Hardington, soccer, Emory Univeristy; Nathan Koslowski, baseball, Jacksonville
University; Kyle Nasta, soccer, University of North Florida; Avondale resident
Mary Ann McNulty, crew, Princeton University; San Marco resident Drew Miller,
crew, Boston University; and Erich Schneider, football, Duke University.
GO GIVERS: Jane Rogers
Jane Rogers, 50, retired from her military
career in human resources in 2007 and wasn’t at all sure about the next step in
her life – until she went onto the internet to research volunteer opportunities
in Jacksonville. HandsOn Jacksonville popped up and Rogers recalls her delight
at the one-stop smorgasbord of volunteer positions that appeared alphabetically
by agency.
“There were so many agencies in need of
volunteers I couldn’t believe it. I made full use of that website, going
carefully over all the entries whenever I had free time. You can find out what
the nonprofit does, who they serve and what volunteer jobs are available. It
also explains what each job involves and any other requirements, so before you
even contact them you have a pretty good idea if you’d like to try that
volunteer position. I learned a lot about what charities, service organizations
and nonprofits we have in Jacksonville,” she said.
Only
knowing that she wanted to be productive and maintain a regular volunteer
schedule, so Rogers explored the opportunities until she clicked on DLC
(Developmental Learning Center) Nurse & Learn, Inc. DLC is a special
education school and daycare dedicated to caring for and teaching special needs
children, ages birth to 22, in a loving, Christian atmosphere. A ministry of
the Northeast Florida district of The United Methodist Church, the center is
located inside of Murray Hill United Methodist Church.
“All
I remember of finding DLC was how I felt when I saw the beautiful photographs
of the precious children they help. I just melted. I contacted DLC, set up an
interview and took the tour,” she said. “After I passed the required background
check, I began helping with the infants and toddlers, basically just holding,
feeding and loving them. I always try to be there at the busiest times,
especially meals. The children come in all shapes and sizes with various
needs.”
Two
days each week, 40 hours a month, Rogers can be found with the kids at DLC. She
said that she loves each one and takes pride in helping them and cheering on
their progress. As they grow, develop and are able to leave for school and the
next steps in their education, Rogers feels torn.
“I
know I’m making a difference in their lives. After I care for them for a couple
of months, when I walk in they will call ‘Miss Jane’, ‘Miss Jane’ and drop
whatever they’re doing and run to me to see who gets picked up first. I get
goose bumps just thinking about how they recognize and reach for me. If I take
a week or two off I can’t wait to get back to see them,” she said. “I’m so
proud of their achievements from small to large. It’s impossible not to become
attached. That bond is what keeps me going back. It is very hard to see them
leave the center, so I just give them all the love and attention I can while I
have them. It’s the most rewarding thing I do.”
Jane
and her husband David, a retired military meteorologist now working on
government contracts for aviation clients, moved to Jacksonville for career
reasons. The couple has lived, worked and traveled extensively in the U.S. and
overseas and enjoys planning major trips every year. Besides long walks and
good books, they have found that volunteer work can be as rewarding as a paid
position and the combination has enriched their personal lives, travel and
hobbies even more.
David
is an avid motorcyclist who began riding when he was just 14-years-old —probably
why Jane has a world of patience for his five motorcycles and 14 dirt bikes. He
is an active member of the BMW Motorcycle Club of Northeast Florida, repairs
his own bikes and enjoys local and regional road trips, or cross-country trips
to destinations like Mexico.
“I
just try not to think about how risky it actually is. He always is dressed in
the full safety gear and helmet and is such a careful and experienced
motorcyclist. Of course traveling on a motorcycle makes the rider simply more
vulnerable in any accident, but he absolutely loves it,” she said.
Jane
plans to continue her volunteer work as long as she can and urges others to
take the time to find the perfect agency to help.
“I
don’t think most nonprofits have enough help, and it adds so much to life. I
really enjoy working with the children and believe I am contributing. Anyone
can make a difference to someone in need, no matter what your age, background
or skills may be,” she said. “I realize that not everyone can handle working
with special needs children, but there are so many different ways to help in
the community.”
The Way We Were: Doug Milne
Doug
Milne wears many hats — husband, father, grandfather, attorney, civic leader,
mentor, friend and local historian just to name a few.
Moving
from the Northwest in 1946 at the age of three with parents Doug and Betty and
infant sister Mary, Milne’s wide-angle view of Jacksonville’s civic character
began on the patrol boy drill field of Lackawanna Park.
“There
were not as many cars when I grew up. Sections of town were more isolated from
one another. My friends and I did not visit other sections of Jacksonville very
often. Indeed, we called Avondale Our Town.
I
didn’t realize that Greater Jacksonville was a collection of Our Towns, each
with its own unique history and culture. My patrol boy drill days introduced me
to kids from Springfield, Ribault, Wesconnett, and Arlington, and they helped
me understand that different parts of Jacksonville are like various creeks that
drain into the St. Johns. They have unique names but they all flow into the
same river.
Two
other events helped me broaden my civic outlook. I was selected as a
representative to a YMCA world youth conference when I was a 17-years-old
junior at Lee HS. This was a 10-day residential experience in Hilversom,
Holland. I lived with youth representatives from 48 different countries. It was
quite the experience as was Florida Boys State that same year.”
The
river itself was a playground for Milne and his friends, David Nussbaum,
Michael Hughes and Michael Fisher (who ran away from home every day and lived
with Doug’s family until dinner.)
“J.F.
Bryan had a ski boat that he shared. We water-skied behind it. We fished, too,
and that is a sport I still love. When we weren’t on the river, we sometimes
were in the streets. Pine Street, where I lived, was always full of activities.
One
of the activities was cork ball, a game created by Chuck Rogers, director of city
parks, and father of legendary Lee football coach, Corky Rogers. The game
required that you wrap a cork in tape and position two pennies on it. You hit
it with a broom handle and ran. A good player could make that cork dance.
Later,
during high school at Lee, I participated in Hi-Y and in more structured
athletics, baseball primarily. I was also on a Beaches baseball team that was
written up in a local newspaper as “The Boys of Summer” even though we weren’t
all that good.”
But
play was only one part of the era’s equation.
“When
I was 14, I got a Times Union paper route which consisted of morning delivery
for 138 papers. My father informed me that the route was more about the
importance of work than it was about the money. It did teach me about work. I
am forever thankful that on frigid or rainy morning, my mother would get up at
4:00 a.m. and drive me around the route. Collections were always on Friday.
The
money I did make went farther then. Hamburgers at the Avondale drugstore were
25 cents and a shake was 25 also. With two cents tax, that meant lunch was 52
cents total. At one point, too, my mom would take carloads of my friends and me
to the Edgewood movie theater where we could watch two features, a cartoon and
a newsreel, eat popcorn and a hotdog and not spend an entire dollar. Some
things have changed.”
And
some things have not. Milne’s children Doug, Joey, Mary Susan and William grew
up in the same neighborhood where their father played champion cork ball. Milne
and his wife Nora, an adoption and foster care administrator, live two blocks
from the Pine Street house where his mother still lives. After spending time at
the University of the South, Sewanee and the University of Florida law school,
Milne returned to Avondale to nourish the deep struck roots of friends, family
and community.
The Way We Were: Dorothy Harding
When Dorothy
Harding, her husband Jen (short for Jennings), and nine-year-old daughter Bette
(now Bette Loyd) first moved to Jacksonville in 1957, they were lucky enough to
settle in the Lakewood area, in part because Harding’s mother-in-law and
stepfather had a house on Rollins Avenue. And they have never left.
Harding
and Loyd now live next door to each other on twin riverfront lots at the end of
Baylor Lane. The two gracious Southern ladies recently had fun reminiscing
about their many decades in the neighborhood.
After
three short months at the Lakewood Apartments, the family lived first on Mercer
Circle, which backed up to Christopher Creek, and then on San Carlos Road.
“The
kids on Mercer Circle told me there were alligators in the creek, but Momma and
Daddy told me there certainly were not,” remembers Loyd. “One day, I heard a
bloodcurdling scream, and there was Momma standing there with a big old gator
in the yard.”
The
children would play in the woods on the other side of the creek. The woods are
now the San Jose Forest neighborhood. Loyd attended Grace Chapel Parish School
(now San Jose Episcopal Day School), and her grandparents were members at the
church. Back in those days, if women didn’t have a hat on for church, they
would pin a Kleenex on their head before going to the service.
The
Harding family spent many Sunday afternoons driving down to Mandarin. San Jose
Boulevard at that time was a two-lane road lined with big oak trees and Spanish
moss. A family friend in Switzerland (“way out in the country”) had a house
that looked like a Swiss chalet, which is still there today, and Loyd loved to
pet their goats and pick oranges from the many orange trees on the property.
Lakewood
Shopping Center was a place the family frequented. Loyd would go to Lakewood
Pharmacy every Saturday with friends to have a banana split, and for a time,
Harding worked at the Lakewood Children’s Shoppe. They also liked Clark’s
Market for meat (the current site of Mojo BBQ), dress shops French Novelty and
the Vogue (where Winn-Dixie is), the record shop – where Loyd would buy 45 rpm
singles of Top 40 hits – and Dipper Dan’s for ice cream.
In
1960, Harding’s husband acquired the Atlantic Firebrick Company, which is still
in operation. Harding worked the night shift as a switchboard operator at the
naval station when her daughter was little, and then stayed busy with volunteer
pursuits – she was at Memorial Hospital to volunteer the day it opened – and
with a longtime bridge group.
“We
called it ‘Margarita Bridge’ because we started with coffee in the morning,
played bridge, and then about 11:00 would have margaritas and lunch,” she
laughed. “It was a lot of fun, and we played together for about 20 years.”
In
1972, Harding got wind of a riverfront home for sale on Baylor Lane. She didn’t
ever imagine the couple could afford it, but she mentioned it to her husband
anyway.
“Jen
took one look around the property, heard the price, and said, ‘We’ll take it!’
without ever setting foot in the house. We paid $130,000 for it,” she
remembered.
They
subsequently acquired an additional two-acre lot next door, which Jen set up as
a putting green (laying concrete and maintaining perfect grass turf on top). He
spent many afternoons honing his golf game and using the river for driving
practice.
Loyd
now lives in the family’s original house, and Harding built on the adjacent
property about nine years ago. The two eat dinner together a couple of nights
each week, usually joined by Loyd’s two sons, and they talk on the phone every
day.
“It
feels good being next door to each other,” said Harding. “I’m so thankful
because this is all the family I have.”
