Do you ever ponder the power of your voice and how it can impact your community? Join us for an enlightening conversation with community stakeholder, David Miller, the SwS Director of Optimism. Together, we’ll navigate through the complex terrains of culture, values, and global citizenship. We shed light on the pivotal role that your voice plays in shaping other's thoughts, and why community reactions often carry more weight than individual actions. We also reflect on recent events in Jacksonville and the commendable efforts of our citizens in uniting our community for change.
Finally, this segment echoes a resounding stand against hate. We stress the importance of listening to- and respecting- each other's stories, while highlighting the influential role of initiatives like The First Coast Relief Fund, which was established following the PULSE nightclub shooting, and mobilized immediately to receive and utilize contributions to address immediate needs following the New Town shooting motivated by anti-Black racism that took the lives of three victims.
The First Coast Relief Fund welcomes the Together Strong Community Fund, founded by David Miller on behalf of the Miller Families as the newest partner in the collaboration, focused on combating the root causes of bias and long-term systemic racial inequities. The Together Strong Community Fund was formed to advance community-wide conversation and education following the display of hate speech in downtown Jacksonville in 2022.
"My family is fiercely devoted to making the greater Jacksonville community a place where everyone can feel safe and reach their personal potential,” said David Miller, founder of the Together Strong Community Fund, which includes lead gifts from VyStar Credit Union, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Florida Blue, CSX and Haskell. “The time is now to forge alliances and promote healing, conversation, and education.”
A generous gift from the Together Strong Community Fund has already been pledged to the Relief Fund to support this effort. The founding partners in the collaboration include the United Way of Northeast Florida, United Way of St. Johns County, The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Northeast Florida, the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, and now, the Together Strong Community Fund, based at the Jewish Federation & Foundation.
The partners in the collaboration share a longstanding commitment to racial equity and promoting understanding across religious differences, among other dimensions of diversity.
To find out more about donating to the Together Strong Community Fund, visit https://www.jewishjacksonville.org/togetherstrong
#TogetherStrong #TogetherJacksonville
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