By Michele Leivas
Planting roots through volunteering
Volunteer: Kendra McCrary
Organization: The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital
Involved Since: 2003
As president of The Women’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Kendra McCrary is fully immersed in the Jacksonville community. Yet the River City was never meant to be a permanent move for McCrary and her family when they moved here from Atlanta in 1996.
Still new to the community, McCrary began volunteering with the Junior League of Jacksonville to get to know her new home. Volunteering had been part of her life since childhood, with both parents active volunteers in their church and community, and McCrary had become engaged in various volunteer efforts throughout college, so it was second nature to her to get involved in her new city.
Through the Junior League, McCrary became connected with many other nonprofit organizations in Jacksonville. She’s never looked back.
“I really did learn Jacksonville through volunteering,” she said, “and love Jacksonville through that experience.”
McCrary served as the Junior League president in 2004 and became involved with other community organizations, including the Sanctuary on 8th Street, Sulzbacher and The Women’s Board. In her role as president, McCrary oversees the board’s efforts to raise funds to ensure the hospital has the latest life-saving equipment and technologies to care for infants and children.
Between her own business and The Women’s Board, McCrary’s days are full, but she said giving back has never been a drain on her.
“I work full time, but I still have time to volunteer because the volunteering recharges me,” she said. “I can do so much more as part of this group of The Women’s Board than I could ever accomplish individually and that’s really wonderful.”
More than 20 years since they moved here, McCrary’s family still lives in the same Avondale home. Jacksonville truly is home for them – and while McCrary never would have anticipated that, she said she’s grateful that it is.
“It was a true gift,” she said, “because Jacksonville is a really great community.”
A passion for preservation
Volunteer: Logan Cross
Organization: San Marco Preservation Society
Involved Since: 2022
Logan Cross has called San Marco home for many years. While he has always embraced his community, his involvement with the San Marco Preservation Society has given him a deeper appreciation for his neighborhood and its residents.
An active volunteer through other organizations – he is the chair for the Sierra Club of Northeast Florida – Cross got involved with SMPS three years ago. Since then, he has become deeply immersed in the organization and the community it strives to preserve.
“I’ve enjoyed meeting the people, but also getting the feeling that I am, in certain ways, giving something back to the community,” he said.
Cross is the chairman for two SMPS committees: Resiliency and Sustainability; and Traffic, Pedestrian and Bicycle. As Resiliency and Sustainability chairman, Cross is using his voice and platform to help raise community awareness about those two concepts – especially, he said, because of San Marco’s susceptibility to flooding.
“[The committee] will provide a vehicle for people to get more engaged in the community in a lot of ways,” he said.
While he is passionate about the projects and causes he champions for SMPS, he said his favorite thing about volunteering with the organization is seeing and meeting fellow neighbors who are equally passionate about the neighborhood they call home.
“It’s always encouraging to see people who just volunteer their time and their expertise and experience for a cause that they believe in,” he said. “…I feel more part of the community than all the other years I have lived here.”
