Jacksonville Humane Society outreach program gets a boost with Players Championship grant
The Jacksonville Humane Society's outreach programs got a big boost in the way of transportation by The Players Championship.
The Players made a $45,000 grant to the JHS to purchase a dedicated vehicle to be used to deliver their education outreach programs to the community.
The focus of the outreach effort is to bring the joy of reading and the companionship of animals to children in local schools and afterschool nonprofit programs via Pawsitive Reading, the program currently offered at the JHS campus.
"We are immensely grateful to The Players Championship for their generous grant, which will enable us to take our humane education initiatives to the next level," said Denise Deisler, CEO at the Jacksonville Humane Society, in a statement. "This program will bring the joy of reading and the therapeutic benefits of interacting with animals to children who may not otherwise have the option to come to JHS and participate in Pawsitive Reading."
“We hope that with this donation we can help foster a lifelong love of learning for our younger fans and we can't think of a better way to do this than with the helping paws of our furry friends at Jacksonville Humane Society," said Emily Bellock, senior director community outreach for The Players.
The vehicle’s first stop was to deliver new books to youth at the MaliVai Washington Youth Fund Center along with a visit from Dudley, a mixed-breed dog who was adopted from JHS. Children took turns reading their new books to Dudley, who delighted in hearing the stories! The books were made possible by a generous grant from The Jim Moran Foundation, which also helps fund educational outreach at the Jacksonville Humane Society.
To learn more about humane education programs offered by the Jacksonville Humane Society for children of all ages, please visit jaxhumane.org/education. For more on The Players, visit theplayers.com.
John Hugghins retires
John Hugghins, who rose from an assistant golf professional during the early years of the TPC Sawgrass has retired after more than three decades with the TPC Network, ending as the senior vice president of TPC Network Operations. He will be replaced by Victor Aliprando, Jr., on Jan. 1, 2024, who is currently the vice president of Business Development, will ascend to the position of Senior Vice President.
“John’s journey within the TPC Network has been nothing short of inspiring,” said Jim Triola, TPC Network Chief Operating Officer. “His unwavering determination and commitment have shaped the course of the TPC Network. As we bid farewell to John, we are confident that Vic is the right person to carry us forward. We extend our warmest wishes to John on his well-deserved retirement.”
Hugghins went from the TPC Sawgrass pro shop to roles such as general manager of MetroWest Golf Club and the Bay Hill Club and Lodge before returning to the TPC Network. His leadership has extended across various TPC properties, including TPC Eagle Trace, TPC Southwind, TPC Sugarloaf and TPC Sawgrass, before assuming his final role in 2004.
Aliprando began in the TPC Network in 2002 at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga., where he served as head pro, director of golf and general manager. He came to the TPC Sawgrass in 2012 as the club manager, then became senior director of Business Development and then vice president of Business Development for the TPC Network.
Holiday family fun
The sixth annual Jacksonville Area Golf Association Family Championship at the Jacksonville Beach Golf Club was shortened because of approaching rain and wind on Dec. 16.
But there was no shortage of the holiday fun that has made the event one of the most popular on the First Coast golf schedule.
The morning and afternoon waves were reduced to nine holes and a par of 30. But 136 players still participated.
The gross morning wave champions in the family division were Bart and Barton Abstein at 6-under 24. Allison and Anderson Vogt were the net champions with a 21.
Tama and K.C. Caldabaugh repeated as the couples gross (26) and Sheila and Paul Brocki were the net champions (25).
Bill and Neal Pease (25) won the afternoon family gross division and Keith and Stephen Brown (24) won the net division. Sarah and Matthew Wefer (30) won the afternoon couples gross division and Hilary and Joe Watson (24) were the net champions.
The Moore-Myers flight was won by Nicholas and Louise Flowers with a gross score of 30. Ben and Beth Moran were the net winners with a 26.
The holiday costume winners were Sadaly and Madelyn Campbell, William and Bob Lyle and Joe and Hilary Watson.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Humane Society 'Pawsitive Reading' gets more mobile thanks to Players
