Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center

The Navarre Beach Sea Turtle Conservation Center (NBSTCC) is “Giving sea turtles more tomorrows through conservation, education, and research.” A nonprofit organization founded in 2013, the NBSTCC is a working conservation and education center. They currently welcome walk-in guests at a reduced capacity Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am – 4 pm. Please note that, due to the reduced capacity, there may be a waitlist; check their Facebook page here for current information.

NBSTCC is a predominately volunteer-run organization that operates in a 2,010-square-foot conservation and education center. Learn more about volunteering with the organization HERE. Alongside walk-in visits and scheduled private tours, NBSTCC also offers paid experiences: Painting Tortoise Tracks, Honorary Animal Care Team Member, Shark School, and Shark Tooth Treasure Hunt. Visit the NBSTCC website here for more information on experiences, the organization, and turtle conservation. 

Panama City Park Volunteer Event

Living Healthy Simplified has changed its weekly volunteer hours at the local C.M. Kidd Harris Park due to the high heat index. Join them on Wednesday, June 22nd at 7 AM. The group plans to work on mulching, staining park swings and signs, adding more plants, and adding vegetable signage.

Living Healthy recommends you bring water, sunscreen, bug spray, and a hat to protect yourself. Additionally, it would be appreciated but is not required for you to bring gloves, shovels, paint brushes, ladders, or cardboard (non-shiny) to share. Learn more about Living Healthy Simplified and the excellent work they are doing in the community by visiting their Facebook page here. If you are interested in joining the fledging organization as a volunteer, request to join their volunteer Facebook page here to stay up-to-date with events and more! C.M. Kidd Harris Park is located at 221 College Ave in Panama City. 

 

Spring Fling at Tallahassee Nurseries

The Big Bend Hospice Spring Fling is occurring today from 5:30 pm – 8 pm. The event will be held in the magical gardens of Tallahassee Nurseries! The Spring Fling is a premier social event and fundraiser. The proceeds for this event will support Big Bend Hospice’s unfunded programs such as Music Therapy, Grief counseling (adults and children), Veterans’ programs, Spiritual Care, and other Direct Patient needs.

More information about the event and Big Bend Hospice is available on the official Spring Fling event page here

Live Art Night in Blountstown

Main Street Blountstown is looking for artists for their upcoming live art night. There is no age minimum or skill level requirement. If you have artistic ability you are willing to share live, please reach out to Main Street Blountstown via their Facebook group here or posting on the event page here. The Live Art Night will occur on April 1st from 5:30pm – 7:30pm at the M&B Railroad Train Depot. The event showcases artists creating art live for your viewing pleasure. Additionally, there will be face painting, a kids chalk night, live music, and local food.

Damayan Garden Project

Damayan is a non-profit located in Tallahassee that works to provide schoolyards, community centers, and low-income housing communities with the necessary materials to establish raised-bed vegetable gardens. The Damayan Garden Project is a volunteer organization that relies heavily on donation-based support from the community. It is run by gardeners, educators, and volunteers who want to help enchance the quality of life in their community by fostering opprotunities for fresh produce, gardening experience, and a healthy relationship with food and community. If you would like to volunteer your time, the organization has numerous opprotunities including new garden installations, weekly garden assistant, social media coordinator, and more! Visit their website for more information. 

Holiday Toy Drive

TCAC Coalition and Power Up People have teamed up to host a Holiday Toy Drive for the benefit of Frenchtown and Holton Street. Donations are being accepted from December 11-20th at the following Tallahassee locations:

  • Square Mug Cafe – 663 Railroad Square
  • The Bark – 507 All Saints Street
  • The Plant – 517 Gaines Street
  • Ms. Dee’s – 717 Old Bainbridge Road
  • Sweet Pea Cafe – 832 W Tharpe Street
  • GlassHouse Automotive – 6401 W Tennessee Street
  • FLPAC – 603 N MLK Jr. Ave
  • Quaker Meeting House – 2001 S Magnolia Drive

If you would like to donate larger items or money and/or volunteer for the in-person toy giveaways days, call Trish Brown at (850) 688-7153 or email Outreach@tallycac.com. 

Sneads Christmas Parade

The Sneads Christmas Parade will be Saturday, December 11th. The Town of Sneads announced that the parade will start at 4 pm with participants scheduled to line up at 3 pm. They are currently accepting forms for participants – click on the image to the right to visit the form website, fill it out, and return it to Sneads City Hall as soon as possible. Visit the Town of Sneads City Hall Facebook for more information, to keep up-to-date on parade announcements, and more!

 

Friends of Chipley Animals

Bradley Cooper, a currently available Bulldog mix (as of 11/27/2021)

If you live in Chipley or surrounding areas and love animals, consider joining the Friends of Chipley Animals Facebook page. The page is run by volunteers of the Chipley, FL shelter but is not a reflection of the shelter itself. Many of the animals listed on the page come from surrounding counties but are all located in Chipley at the time of their posting. Dogs and cats are only kept 5-7 days so if you see an animal that interests you, please call them right away (the number is listed on their page). The Friends of Chipley operate Monday through Saturday 9:00 am until 12:00 noon CST.

Additionally, they are in URGENT need of volunteers to visit the shelter to take pictures and get descriptions of pets to post to the website. The hours for volunteers are between 9 am and 12 pm CST. If you are interested in helping in-need animals get adopted, please call the shelter for more info. 

Family Volunteer Day

Today is Family Volunteer Day, an annual event held on the Saturday before Thanksgiving or two days after the third Thursday in November. Family volunteering is a specific subtype of volunteering; families work together to support their communities/neighborhoods which further strengthens the community and the families involved.

Family Volunteer Day was created in 1990 by Points of Light; it is sponsored by Disney’s Friends for Change and managed by generationOn. The event is designed to help inspire community involvement and the opportunity to help raise kind, compassionate children. Family volunteering allows families to come together and give back, creating a holistic community that thrives on collaborative compassion and empathy. 

LGBTQ+ Center Awareness

Today is National LGBTQ+ Center Awareness Day. For more detailed information on this national event, visit the LGBT Center Awareness Day website.

Since this annual event is designed to help advocate for the work of LGBT community centers everywhere, today’s blog is dedicated to highlighting the local LGBTQ+ Center of Bay County. According to their website, the Bay Center “is currently the only safe space with dedicated programming for LGBTQ+ youth ages 13-18 in the entire Panhandle of Florida, from Mobile, Alabama to Jacksonville, Florida.”

They offer support groups, a safe space, scholarships, community outreach programs, and more! The Center advocates for community engagement, offers volunteer opprotunities, holds events, and works hard to improve the wellness of the LGBTQ+ community while leading the charge for positive change in the area. 

Visit the Center’s official website to learn more.