"St. Johns (County) Community Active Residents Engaged in Service"
Monthly Meetings
​St. Johns CARES Meetings are held at 7PM
on the 3rd Tuesday of each month (except December)
at
Bartram Academy
 164 Everest Lane, Suite 1
St. Johns, FL  32259
(Bartram Springs)
Click here for a map with directions!

May 2018 agenda draft HERE
April 2018 minutes HERE 

St. Johns CARES Kids meets annually with ad-hoc committee meetings.  Please subscribe to our newsletter for dates as they are scheduled for events.

Sponsor Spotlight:

Bartram Academy

Bartram Academy, an eco-friendly childcare learning center, opened their doors in August 2012 in St Johns County.  The owners, Kelly and Roger Giddens, started an in home childcare in 2006.
Bartram Academy is a family owned business that is located off Racetrack Road by the Bartram Springs community.  Since opening, the school has had a growing waiting list and thus began the planning of an expansion that would more than double enrollment.  The expansion opened in August of 2015.  With the expansion, Bartram Academy helped to create an additional two dozen jobs in St. Johns County. 
A few things that set Bartram Academy apart from other facilities are their healthy food options, eco-friendly practices, 100% state inspections, smaller child-to-teacher ratios, and their Reggio Emilia inspired program. 
The Reggio Emilia philosophy is based on principles of respect, responsibility, and community through exploration and discovery. The Reggio Emilia approach is project oriented.  Children work in small groups for days, weeks, and even months on a particular task or project. 
Consistent with the philosophy of schooling for multiple intelligences, the approach calls for the use of arts as tools for cognitive, linguistic, and social development.  Print, art, construction, drama, music, gardening, and more are used in guiding children’s understanding of lessons and experiences. 
The school serves only organic/all natural, fresh/fresh-frozen foods containing no dyes, high fructose corn syrup, or partially hydrogenated oils.  The school won the Green Business of the Year in 2013 with the US Green Building Council.  A children’s book, My Eco Healthy School, by Kate Krusely featured Bartram Academy as an up and coming early childhood learning movement.

St. Johns CARES & Helping Hands of Nocatee working alongside each other in growing partnership.  The Evolution of Giving in St. Johns County​

Meg Balke, President of St. Johns CARES (top left); Anne Crane, Founder of Helping Hands of Nocatee (top right) and Kathy Bravo, Founder of JCP Cares (center)
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    Contact Us:
St. Johns CARES, Inc. (formerly JCP CARES) is a nonprofit organization committed to helping local charities in St. Johns County. We provide assistance to local charities and those in need through donations and time.  We divide our charity efforts into five different  categories; Animals & Environment, Senior & Veterans, Children & Education, Medical and Homeless & Abused.  We focus on these categories throughout the year.

Helping Hands of Nocatee  has joined St. Johns CARES as St. Johns CARES Kids to work alongside one another supporting the charities in St. Johns County with more family and kid friendly activities.  
​

What's coming up:​

Suitcases for Seniors fundraiser March 1 - March 4 to supply college bound seniors in the A.S.S.I.S.T. (homeless services) program with a brand new suitcase filled with dorm essentials to start their college journey.  Click HERE to donate!  (All donations are tax deductible)
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If you would prefer to make a purchase from our Amazon Wish list, please click HERE .  Your donation will be shipped right to St. Johns CARES.
Book Drive:  If you, or your friends/group/club/family would like to support our April  new book drive, please email contact@stjohnscares.org ASAP. St. Johns CARES donates a brand new book to each student in the A.S.S.I.S.T. program for summer reading. WE NEED YOUR HELP! Middle school and high school (young adult) books are needed most.
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Kids Farmer's Market being planned for 2018.  Will be hosted by Primrose School on Crosswater Parkway.  Stay tuned!​
Giving Tree service hour opportunities available for students starting at the end of March!  SignUp Genius HERE
Julington Creek Plantation CDD has service opportunities. Teens welcome!  
Contact:  Ross Ruben, Lifestyle Director JCPCDD
904.438.2537 - ​rruben@jcpcdd.org
More dinners being planned at St. Francis House.  Details soon!

​News
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Halo Keepers Yarn Drive : March 1 - 31
Thank you to Vystar, UPS Store, St. Augustine Record and Primrose School on Crosswater Parkway for serving as drop off locations for this year's yarn drive. We are proud to report that we collected almost 900 skeins of yarn and several gift cards, which will all be used to create wigs for children undergoing cancer treatment. Halo Keepers said this was their biggest yarn drive ever!
If you participated in this drive, THANK YOU! 
Valentines for Veterans was a big success Saturday February 10th at the Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans' Nursing Home ​

December and November brought our community together in a big way:

MANOFA members shared a late holiday celebration in Hastings.  Visit the Photo Album page under the Events tab for pictures of the fun!
VyStar Credit Union, led by Brian Corson, VP of the 210W branch,  and the Hilts family and friends come through at the last minute to provide the December holiday dinners in Hastings and Armstrong!  Teamwork makes the dream work and these wonderful volunteers prove it!!  Visit the Photo Album page under the Events tab 
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11th Annual Giving Tree 12/11/17:  This year's Giving tree was a great way to end a year of generosity by those in our community.  The drive netted $40,000 in item and cash donations for in-county charities.  See our Giving Tree page under the Events menu for a description of the annual Giving Tree and see the slideshow on the Photo Album page. 
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​2nd Annual Psych Ed Connections Turkey Trot and Fun4FirstCoastKids  11/23/17: Fun Run & Parade presented by www.CrosswaterConnect.com!.  Proceeds of $2,000 were netted to benefit St. Johns CARES.  See the Photo Album page for a slideshow of the fun run and parade! 
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​​​Annual Food Drive Saturday, 11/4/17:   We are still collecting for the food drive, but the proceeds so far are around $30,000.  St. Johns County residents who depend upon the donation centers we support are now less hungry this season.  Read about the event and its history at our Food Drive page under the Events menu. Thank you to sponsor KDRONE Concepts for providing aerial photography!. ​
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​Coats for Kids - 700 coats were collected during the month of November supporting Somebody Cares St. Augustine and the St. Johns County School District Homeless Student Task Force.  Thank you to all who participated, especially the Creekside HS Engineering Club!
For pictures and information on recent events please visit Photo Album page.  Prior year events are on the Past Events page under the More tab

Fundraising Initiatives:
See more slideshows on our Photo Album page!

THANK YOU to our generous Partners: