WJCT’s Sweater Drive Distribution at Clara White Mission
December 5, 2011
Contact: Stan Cleiland, Director of Corporate Communications (904) 358-6366 •
WHAT: Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive Distribution at Clara White Mission
WHEN: Wednesday, December 7 from 8:30 a.m to 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Clara White Mission
613 West Ashley Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202
DETAILS: WJCT Public Broadcasting will help distribute donated sweaters collected by the First Coast community and local schools for our most vulnerable neighbors – homeless men, women and children.
From November 1 through November 30, WJCT and VyStar Credit Union conducted the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive to honor the life and work of the late Fred Rogers, PBS’ “Mister Rogers.”
Special thanks to VyStar Credit Union, Two Men and A Truck, the Fraternal Order of Police for their support of WJCT’s annual Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive.
WJCT Invites First Coast to Participate in Annual Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive
November 1, 2011
November 1-30
(Jacksonville, FL, November 1, 2011); WJCT invites the First Coast community to lend a helping hand to neighbors by contributing new and nearly new sweaters, jackets and blankets to the ninth annual Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive, which runs November 1-30. Contributions will be donated to St. Vincent’s Mobile Outreach Ministry (which serves migrant workers), Clara White Mission, and other First Coast nonprofits serving the needy.
Community members can drop contributions at WJCT, located at 100 Festival Park Avenue across from EverBank Field; at Two Men and a Truck, located at 8849 Arlington Expressway; and all Community Hospice and VyStar Credit Union locations. This year, First Coast schools are again invited to collect contributions. The three schools that collect the most contributions will receive a special prize. For more information, including drop-off points and school participation forms, visit wjct.org or call (904) 358-6314.
The sweater drive honors the life and work of the late Fred Rogers, whose long-running PBS Kids program Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood continues to air on WJCT-TV Channel 7.4 Saturdays at 6 a.m. “All of us, at some time or other, need help,” Fred Rogers once said, “and whether we’re giving or receiving a sweater, each one of us has something valuable to bring to this world. That’s one of the things that connect us as neighbors—in our way, everyone is a giver and receiver.”
“The cardigan sweater has come to represent the gentle spirit, warmth, and nurturing of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” says Michael Boylan, WJCT President and CEO. “The Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive is a fitting tribute to the beloved PBS personality, one that promotes his messages of caring and consideration for others. The values that children learn from Fred Rogers and his program are timeless.”
The ninth annual Mister Rogers Sweater Drive is supported by VyStar Credit Union, Two Men and a Truck, and the Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police.
WJCT is the community-supported public broadcasting station for the First Coast. For more information about WJCT’s television and radio programming, visit WJCT Online at wjct.org
WJCT’s Melissa Ross and Rich Conner Nominated for Regional Emmys
October 18, 2011
Two WJCT productions have been recognized in the 2011 Suncoast Emmy nominations.
Melissa Ross, executive producer of “The 904: Shadow on the Sunshine State,” was nominated in the “Documentary” category. WJCT is the presenting station for the film, an in-depth documentary that looks at the efforts of law enforcement, social services agencies, church leaders and others to curb the violent crime rate in Jacksonville, which has become known as the “murder capital of Florida.” Ross is host and producer of WJCT’s award-winning call-in radio program “First Coast Connect,” which airs weekdays at 9 a.m. on 89.9 WJCT-FM.
Rich Conner, editor of “Ax Handle Saturday – 50 Years Later,” was nominated in the “Editor” category. “Ax Handle Saturday” explores a violent incident in Jacksonville history – a summer day in 1960 when a mob of white men armed with ax handles and baseball bats attacked black teenagers protesting the city’s segregated lunch counters. Conner is co-principal of WJCT’s award-winning video production company, CreativeWorx. The film is a co-production of CreativeWorx and Very Independent Pictures.
The Suncoast Regional Emmy Awards are presented by the Suncoast Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which recognizes outstanding achievements in television in the entire State of Florida, as well as television markets in Louisiana, Alabama, Georgia and Puerto Rico. Winners will be announced December.
WJCT is the community-supported public broadcasting station for Florida’s First Coast. For more information about WJCT’s television and radio programming, visit WJCT Online at wjct.org.
WJCT’s “First Coast Connect” Wins Two Categories in Folio Weekly’s “Best of Jax”
October 11, 2011
WJCT’s “First Coast Connect” has received two awards in Folio Weekly’s BEST OF JAX readers’ poll. The program won the Best Local Radio Show category, and host Melissa Ross was recognized as Best Local Radio Personality.
This is the second consecutive year that Melissa Ross has been recognized as Folio Weekly’s Best Local Radio Personality and the second award this year for “First Coast Connect,” which received a national award from Public Radio News Directors Inc. (PRNDI) in June 2011.
“First Coast Connect” airs weekdays at 9:00 a.m. on 89.9 WJCT-FM. Hosted by Melissa Ross, the one-hour call-in program features local newsmakers, civic and community leaders, arts, activities and more, along with spot news features and a weekly roundtable of local journalists. WJCT launched “First Coast Connect” in August 2009 to provide a venue for community members to be heard on local issues. Listeners can call (904) 549-2937 during the program, tweet melissainjax or email . Audience members can find more information, including upcoming guests and links to social media, at wjct.org/radio, and can listen to the previous week’s programs at wjctondemand.org.
WJCT is the community-supported public broadcasting station for Florida’s First Coast. For more information about WJCT’s television and radio programming, visit WJCT Online at wjct.org.
WJCT Announces New Board of Trustees Officers and Members
September 27, 2011
WJCT Public Broadcasting recently announced new officers of the Board of Trustees (BOT), the station’s governing and policy-making body. David Shacter of the Shacter Family Foundation has assumed the office of chair for the 2012 fiscal year, which begins October 1. Kent Simon is chair-elect. Terry West, President and CEO, VyStar Credit Union, serves as treasurer.
New BOT members for the 2012 fiscal year are:
- Daniel Bean, Partner, Holland & Knight
- Fred Franklin, Jr., Managing Director, Rogers Towers
- Susan Greene
- Kevin Hyde, Partner, Foley & Lardner LLP
- Ashley Smith Juarez, Executive Director, The Chartrand Foundation
Natasha Chapman, WJCT Community Advisory Board Chair for the 2012 fiscal year, serves ex officio as a non-voting member of the BOT.
The BOT meets six times a year to direct, implement and evaluate short and long-term strategies that support WJCT’s mission and objectives.
A complete list of BOT members is attached.
WJCT is the community-supported public broadcasting station for the First Coast. For more information about WJCT’s television and radio programming, visit WJCT Online at wjct.org.