Rising Stars: Jacksonville’s young visionaries lead the way in giving back

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Jacksonville is seeing a new generation of philanthropists stepping up to make a lasting impact. These young leaders – motivated, compassionate, and driven by purpose – are pushing boundaries and setting new standards for what it means to give back. Whether they’re addressing issues of equity, healthcare, environmental preservation, or community engagement, these efforts are building a legacy of care and collaboration.

Their passion and innovation remind us that change is possible when we invest in our local community and in each other. As they continue to inspire through action and service, these young philanthropists are paving the way for a more connected and compassionate Jacksonville, where generosity fuels growth and opportunity for all.

Youth community service and student-led philanthropy efforts are no longer cute quirks organized by a passionate few. Service work is now a pillar of students’ educational experience, inspiring a new body of socially conscious young people determined to be changemakers in our community.

Youth Leadership Jacksonville
Youth Leadership Jacksonville

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 64% of all public schools in the United States have students participate in community service activities recognized by or arranged through the school. More than half of public schools organize community service activities for their students, while 83% of high schools have students who engage in community service independently and through outreach projects.

Locally, student volunteer and philanthropy efforts continue to be a high priority. At virtually every school in Northeast Florida – from elementary classrooms to local universities – there are students supporting community outreach initiatives of varying scopes and sizes. Schools in Northeast Florida are not just places of learning, but also hubs of community service leadership development. Whether it’s through the Business for Social Good pilot program at the Jacksonville University Davis College of Business or Episcopal School of Jacksonville’s Celebrating Service Day, students across Northeast Florida are learning the importance of effective community service leadership.

“A commitment to service leadership is one of the most important guiding principles we can instill in our young people,” said Bolles President and Head of School Tyler Hodges. “It’s not only critical in helping them understand they are part of a larger community and world, but it’s also empowering for students to realize they can make a difference, no matter what their age.”

Hodges said Bolles’ youngest students begin by practicing kindness, citizenship and mindfulness. In middle school, they begin volunteering with nonprofits and organizing fundraisers for causes that matter to them.

“I’m consistently amazed,” he said, “by the impact students can make when encouraged to put their compassion into action.”

Participation in community service activities has also become a requirement for some university scholarships and can be a differentiator for other academic pursuits. To be eligible to receive a Florida Bright Futures Scholarship award, for example, students must complete 100 hours of community service (or paid work hours or a combination of both).

Duval County Public Schools’ district website, for example, lists Bright Futures Community Service Guidelines to help students meet these scholarship standards. The document includes instructions for DCPS students on how to fulfill the community service hours they need to achieve the scholarship, including how to select a social issue, create a community service plan and find approved nonprofit organizations with which they can partner. The guidelines articulate what kinds of service hours are acceptable and encourage students to meet with counselors for specific directions. While community service is not a requirement for graduation from a DCPS school, it is imperative for students looking to qualify for the prestigious state scholarship. St. Johns County School District and Clay County Schools’ Foundation websites all feature the same pages dedicated to Bright Futures Scholarships and how to develop community service initiatives.

An emphasis on developing philanthropic, involved citizens gains even more traction at the college level. Students tapped for a Presidential Service Award at the University of Florida, for example, must have completed 400 hours of community service during their overall time as UF students. Northeast Florida students have shined in this competition over the years, highlighting the importance of community service in high school, college, and life beyond.

Finding their passion

Youth Leadership Jacksonville
Youth Leadership Jacksonville

Helping students find their passion for serving others is much more than allowing them to garner scholarships and meet requirements. For many organizations, it is a measurable lesson in changing the world.

Elementary, middle and high schools across Northeast Florida embrace the same thinking. Many academic institutions provide the programming framework and support to ensure students are making community service and philanthropy a priority in their educational experience.

Episcopal School of Jacksonville’s Celebrating Service Day includes students from all three campuses. In 2024, Munnerlyn Campus students packed food for Hunger Fight and assisted at several foundations and nonprofits, while St. Mark’s Campus lower school students showed gratitude for organizations within walking distance of their school, including the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and Angels for Allison.

“Each year on Celebrating Service Day, we take the opportunity to remember and put into practice ESJ’s founders’ goal of forming ‘doers of good,’” said ESJ Associate Chaplain Andy Farmer.

At St. Johns Country Day School, administrators incorporate service in all three school divisions, at different levels, according to Director of Communications Regan Minners. For example, she said Lower School students might work through the Student Council and host an annual Thanksgiving food drive for the Green Cove Springs pantry or a bake sale to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network. SJCDS middle schoolers go on service trips to the North Florida School of Special Education and upper school students plan fundraising events, service days and trips through the school’s Interact Club chapter and a slew of other student-led clubs.

The school also incorporates service in its annual “Winterim” event, which takes place in January and provides students in grades 6, 7, and 9 with the opportunity to participate in on- and off-campus service activities. In January, for example, Grade 6 students spent the day at Ronnie Van Zant Park, where they helped park staff with cleaning, maintenance and landscaping.

“Community service has always been an integral part of our program at St. Johns,” said Head of School Valorie Baker. “From student clubs, like Interact, to individuals, our students contribute thousands of hours of committee service each year across Northeast Florida.”

At The Bolles School, students begin learning about community service during their earliest lower school years through classroom and campus-wide community service work for groups like Dreams Come True, MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, Woodland Acres and many other local organizations. As students develop better management skills and individual service interests in middle school, they discover new opportunities to establish, manage and lead their own initiatives through campus-based clubs and community service work.

On the Bolles Upper School San Jose Campus, students attend Club Day – where more than 60 student clubs and activity groups are represented – and plan outreach and service events for the rest of the year. Bolles upper school students’ passion for serving others is global and reaches communities in need from Costa Rica to the Florida Keys and beyond. This intentional pursuit of service also manifests in their academic experiences. It concludes with every member of the senior class giving an honorary coin back to the school during commencement. Students also actively support class endowments that stand the test of time.

Moving up

Wanzhu Shi, Ph.D., assistant professor of political science and public administration at the University of North Florida, said this middle and high school philanthropy practice helps students become better global citizens once they reach college and life beyond. These experiences provide a base of fluency in community service that benefits everyone.

“One important lesson is building compassion in our society,” Shi said. “We always say, ‘Don’t judge someone unless you’ve walked in their shoes.’ Community services provide these ‘shoes’ to youths, which may open their eyes.”

Community service also helps students align their personal values with societal issues, Shi added.

“Students may realize that to solve a social issue, it cannot just depend on ‘I am giving,’” he said, “but ‘I and everyone else are giving together.’”

Shi said at the college level, students continue their education in community service by working as volunteers, participating in student organizations, and joining community service programs. Most higher institutions, Shi said, offer programs to encourage students’ community engagement. Faculty and staff are also well-trained to design classes with community engagement opportunities.

At UNF, for example, the students have access to the Office of Community Engagement and Partnership, which offers students opportunities to participate in community service and research opportunities for students to work with faculty to develop projects benefitting the community.

At the college level, students begin to see the broader impact of their community service efforts.

“Student-led philanthropy initiatives can help to identify deeper and unique issues, needs or problems from communities, and advocate these issues for nonprofit sectors,” Shi said. “In the long term, nonprofit organizations can also benefit from student-led philanthropy. In nonprofit sectors, many capacities, human resources and social capital are developed by networks and relationships. Networks and relationships require time investment. Student-led philanthropy initiatives can train youth with strong leadership, management skills and the ability to work in diverse settings and cultures, all essential skills for nonprofit professionals.”

Jacksonville University’s Business Management students are stirring community good on the First Coast by helping local nonprofits improve and streamline their marketing efforts. Part of Davis College’s pilot program, “Business for Social Good,” the projects are sponsored by JU’s Center for Organizational Research and Executive Education (CORE) in conjunction with the Nonprofit Center of Northeast Florida.

The students worked with the UF Health Child Protection Team (CPT), the Literacy Alliance of Northeast Florida, The Tributary, Barnabus and the Marie Barney Boston Scholarship Foundation.

Local nonprofits also provide programming to support and encourage students’ drive to do good. Leadership Jacksonville’s Youth Leadership Jacksonville program attracts 50 students from around the First Coast annually for a year-long initiative that prepares students to become “ethical leaders committed to active community involvement.” Students attend program days and retreats and learn how government, the criminal justice system, human services, diversity and business intersect in community betterment.

Organizations such as the Girl Scouts of Gateway Council and the Boy Scouts of America North Florida Council develop the same kind of enthusiasm and dedication to service in youth as they make their way through the program. At the highest levels of honor within these organizations, students must complete major community service projects to achieve Eagle Scout and Gold Award status. Some of these projects are the subject of the student profiles that follow.

Equipping students with the knowledge and experience they need to effect community change has transformative results – both in developing young philanthropists and raising important funds to support its mission. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society North Florida Region, for example, works with local student-led campaign teams to raise money and awareness. This year, student teams raised more than $230,000 for the organization.

National Charity League Tea
National Charity League Tea

This year, the Jacksonville chapter of the National Charity League (NCL) launched a local program to help young women learn about community service leadership. The NCL Jacksonville chapter is one of 300 active chapters in 32 states of the organization that aims to strengthen mother-daughter relationships through community service. With participating girls from more than 16 area schools, the chapter has held recent events with Angels for Allison and other local nonprofit organizations and is seeking both new charity partners as well as new members through its website, www.nationalcharityleague.org/chapter/jacksonville/

“For the girls, NCL is about growing their appreciation for people they may not know well for a common cause and developing in them a sense of gratitude that will stay with them as they get older,” said Kimberly Fess, president of the National Charity League’s Jacksonville chapter. “We are advancing the importance of servant leadership at an earlier age and the need to give back.”

Organizations such as Rotaract, meanwhile, provide a way for young adults ages 18-35 to participate in community service while engaging in philanthropy. Jacksonville’s Beaches Rotaract Club, in fact, has been recognized nationally and internationally for engaging young professionals in philanthropic efforts.

Members of the Beaches Rotaract Club volunteer on a Habitat for Humanity home repair project
Members of the Beaches Rotaract Club volunteer on a Habitat for Humanity home repair project

“Our members joins to make a difference while also enjoying the camaraderie and networking opportunities that Rotaract offers,” said Immediate Past President Joe Bove.

In the past two years, Bove said, the group has mounted several successful fundraisers to support local nonprofits that address everything from suicide prevention and prison reentry training programs to developmental disabilities and more.

“Beaches Rotaract members are highly motivated individuals,” Bove said. “They have a deep commitment to giving back to the community, and they dedicate their time and talents to support local initiatives about which they are passionate.”  

By Susanna P. Barton

Tags: Beaches Rotaract Club, Davis College of Business, Duval County Public Schools, Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Jacksonville University, National Charity League, NCL, St. Johns Country Day School, The Bolles School


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