Welcoming Our New CEO, Mrs. Penelope Zuber-Simcox

We are pleased to welcome Mrs. Penelope Zuber-Simcox as Kids Hope Alliance’s new Chief Executive Officer. With more than four decades of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector, Mrs. Zuber brings an exceptional depth of strategic, financial, operational, and community leadership to her new role.

Mrs. Zuber most recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer of the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast, concluding a distinguished 42-year career with the organization. During her tenure, she provided strategic and operational leadership for one of the region’s largest nonprofit organizations, overseeing 13 branches, a public charter school, an overnight camp, more than 40 program sites, and services reaching more than 200,000 individuals each year.

Throughout her career, Mrs. Zuber has demonstrated a strong commitment to connecting strategy, resources, partnerships, and accountability to create meaningful and measurable community impact. Her leadership has helped expand youth development initiatives, strengthen organizational sustainability, and create greater opportunities for children and families.

A highly collaborative community leader, Mrs. Zuber has built strong partnerships with elected officials, boards, schools, healthcare systems, foundations, businesses, and community organizations. Her extensive civic involvement includes serving as a founding board member of Girls on the Run of Northeast Florida, Secretary of the Riverfront Parks Conservancy Board, a mentor with the University of North Florida Community Alliance for Student Success, and President-Elect of the Jacksonville Women’s Network.

Her contributions to Jacksonville’s business and nonprofit communities have earned her numerous honors, including Ultimate CFO in 2019, Woman of Influence in Business in 2009, and 40 Under 40 in 2002.

A former long-distance runner, Mrs. Zuber, has run eight marathons but now enjoys the quiet and reflective discipline of oyster artwork. Mrs. Zuber is very proud of her daughters Savannah and Sarah, and cherishes time being a Lola (Filipino for grandma) to Sienna. Mrs. Zuber and her husband, Carl Simcox, enjoy traveling and living in Avondale.

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Zuber to this new chapter of leadership. Her extensive experience, collaborative approach, and longstanding commitment to serving children, families, and the broader community will be an important asset as we look toward the future. Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Penelope Zuber as our new CEO!

We want to send a special recognition to our Employee of the Month, Iscah Holland Congratulations and keep up the great work!

Thank you for being our partner in creating a safer, more vibrant community for our youngest citizens here in Jacksonville. We look forward to further collaboration and celebration of the difference we make, hand in hand.



The 40th Annual Martin Luther King Breakfast will be held on January 15th, 2027, at the Prime Osborn Convention Center. Students can start submitting their essays for the 2027 Tomorrow's Leaders Essay Contest. Winners will be recognized at the breakfast. Teachers and mentors can nominate students to write essays that reflect themes drawn from Dr. King's life and teachings.

Each age group will write an essay.

• Elementary students: 4th and 5th graders will write a 200-word essay.
• Middle school: 6th-8th graders will write a 400-word essay.
• High school: 9th-12th graders will write a 600-word essay.

Submissions are due October 18th. For more information, click here.

It's time to nominate an exceptional student, educator, and community partner for Jacksonville Public Education Fund's next chapter of One by One 2.0. Nominees will be individuals who can speak authentically about their educational experiences, who create meaningful opportunities for students, and whose work helps build stronger connections between education and their futures. Nominations are due by October 5th. For more information, click here.

Help Florida build a more resilient state by volunteering as a resiliency coach. You can help build students' skills to overcome challenges. Florida is taking a first-of-its kind approach to reframe mental health to help children become resilient.

To become a resiliency coach, you must meet the volunteer screening requirements with the local school district and complete an online 4-hour volunteer practicum. To sign up, click here.

Young photographers, this is your time to shine!! Kids age 4 to 15 are invited to participate in the APE Studio Playground Photo Contest, where they will capture fun, imagination, and adventure of the Riverfront Plaza Playground.

Jacksonville is only one of five cities nationwide selected to be part of this exciting project. Grab your camera or phone, get creative, and snap away!

The winner will receive a miniature animal sculpture, a feature in APE Studio's inaugural publication on play design and social media, and a copy of the publication.

The deadline to submit is September 29th. To enter, click here.

Open enrollment is now open for families who want to enroll their children into a Florida Prepaid plan. They have affordable monthly payments to designed to fit any goal or budget to help parents and caregivers save for college. To sign your kids up for a plan, click here.

Searching for something to do this weekend? Check out Jacksonville's event page. It has tons of events from the Jacksonville Icemen games to the Jax Symphony to Ritz Museum After Dark.

For a list of events happening around town, click here.

Parents or caregivers, if you are in need of diapers, now is the time to sign up. The Diaper Assistance Program offers free diapers to those who qualify. To sign up, click here.

A new app created for teens by teens. I'm A Star students created EmpowerMe, to aid in their mental health. The app provides daily affirmations and offers mini games to foster in teens' mental health. The app is available in the App Store and Google Play. For more information, click here.

The Florida Department of Children and Families announced a statewide youth advisory board, which is a youth-led self-standing group made up of youth and young adults with Lived Experience in Florida's child welfare system. Members from across the state bring their unique voices, stories, and expertise to help shape the policies and programs that impact youth and young adults across the state.

The Statewide Youth Advisory Board works to:

• Promote participation
• Establish a structured partnership
• Equip young adults
• Develop leadership skills
• Improve communication
• Maintain independence
• Incorporate youth perspectives

Membership is exclusively composed of youth and young adults with lived experience in Florida's child welfare system, including out-of-home care, adoption, or independent living programs administered by the Department of Children and Families.

If you are interested in becoming a member, fill out the membership interest form.

Cathedral Arts Project is hiring for several positions: grants and proposal manager, director of professional development, and curriculum writer. CAP offers a culture of creativity and collaboration. CAP is seeking for individuals to to support its mission to provide arts education that impacts children and young adults. For more information on the positions, click here.

Buddy's Place is part of the 3 Grains of Rice Missions range of services. They are a bridge to helping those who need medical equipment. They can pick up equipment that is no longer needed, or they can provide you with the necessary medical equipment that you need. Donations are tax deductible. If you are in need or have equipment you no longer use, contact 3 Grains of Rice Missions at 904-534-0674 or 904-742-3054.

Transportation is vital for accessing essential services. United Way's Ride Unlimited Program bridges this gap with those who are in need. United Way has partnered with Lyft to enable 211 callers to request transportation to an essential location and receive a ride for free or at a discounted rate. Since its launch in 2018, more than 500,000 rides have been completed. All you have to do is call 211 for assistance, they will check for resources, and a ride will arrive. For more information, click here.

Mayor's Transparency Dashboards

As a continued effort to provide transparency across the city, we have created the Mayor’s Transparency Dashboards. With these Dashboards, we hope to give citizens the chance to see how our resources are being used in our day-to-day lives.

By providing these Dashboards "at a glance," we hope to tell the narratives that make the City of Jacksonville what it is today. From the volunteers and adopters who help our furry friends at Animal Care and Protective Services, to those who help to push our industry and homes forward in a new streamlined process with Permitting, to Public Works who keeps our city beautiful and clean, to helping our readers exceed our reading goals with River City Readers, you can see just how much work truly goes into our city.

With our combined efforts, we can bring to light a NEW DAY for the City of Jacksonville.

Hurricane season starts June 1st and forecasters are predicting a below-normal season. It is still recommended to prepare you and your families in case of an emergency. Protect your property from wind, flood, and storm surge, and check on your flood insurance. For more tips, check out the Jax Ready page.

Microsoft for Nonprofits Grant

Eligibility Requirements: Nonprofits or non-governmental organizations, public libraries, and public museums

Length of eligibility: Two years

Type of grants: Software, Cloud Services, and Subscriptions

Description: Microsoft provides grants and discounted solutions to eligible nonprofits. The nonprofits must provide relief to the poor, advance education, improve social welfare, preserve culture, restore the environment, promote human rights, and/or establish civil society.

For more information on how to apply, click here.

Family Support Group

Additional Resources

Northwest Behavioral Health Services

2392 Edgewood Ave., N

Jacksonville, FL 32254

www.nwbh.org

Counseling, Psychiatric & Medication Management..........................904-781-7797 (Adults)

Targeted Case Management Services..............................................904-781-0600 (Children)

Trauma Crisis Support Hotline & Mobile Services........................................1-833-987-2682

Students are required by law to attend school regularly. When students miss too many days, they become in danger of truancy. Students who miss five days within a calendar month or 10 days in a 90-day period are considered truant by the Duval County School district. Students and parents can face serious consequences.

Parents, the district wants to support you in getting your child to school every day. Here's what you can do to ensure your child has great attendance:



• Make school attendance a priority. Create and maintain daily routines, such as homework, picking out school clothes the night before, and creating a backup plan to get your child to school in case an emergency comes up.
• Keep your child engaged in school. Talk to your child about school bullies, behavioral issues, and school policies, as these can be some reasons why kids do not want to go to school. Also, see what type of after-school programs they would want to be a part of.
• Communicate with the school. Monitor your child's academic progress and reach out to your child's teachers with any concerns.

Attendance allows students to put their best foot forward on the path to success. If children are not at school, they miss out on the fundamentals of learning. Click here for more information about attendance.

United Way of NEFL Volunteerism

Get Involved. Make a Difference.