Home Away From Home Holiday Experience

It’s that time of year again: "The Happiest Time of Year," might I add. The holiday season is upon us and the pressure is on!

As a NFHC AmeriCorps member, I understand the many stresses that accompany the holiday season. With only so many personal leave days a year and a bank account that isn't quite up to par, it can be nearly impossible to go home for the holidays. But fear not! I've had many amazing, fulfilling holidays away from home and am here to share some of my tips so that you to can make the most of the sugarplum season! This year, AmeriCorps members will open up presents, create yummy dishes, and start new memories right here in Jacksonville, Florida!

Although we may not be able to participate in familiar traditions, there are still ways to feel joy and experience the season's magic. Here are some useful tips members will utilize for a "Home Away From Home" holiday experience.

Connect with Loved Ones...Virtually!

Most people have a device (Smartphone, tablet, laptop, whatever makes you feel fancy,) that allows them to connect to the world via the World Wide Web. As long as you have a camera and decent internet connection, your loved ones can be right there with you…on the computer screen. 

Skype is an amazing, FREE way to connect with those long distanced love ones. You can share a “Holiday Breakfast” together or have a decoration contest and see which place looks more festive (virtually, of course!). It’s like your family is with you except now you can turn off the screen when they start to bicker!

Expand your Taste Pallet 

Nom nom nom

Honey Baked Ham, green bean casserole, and Egg Nog are all staple dishes for the holidays. The aromas of these foods take you back to a time when you were 5 years old and the only concern was who could open up their presents the fastest. Unfortunately, times have changed and we can’t always make it home for those familiar smells (I definitely can’t cook a ham by myself!), so it’s time to create our own holiday dishes. Host a potluck! Invite friends, colleagues, and neighbors over to share in an awesome feast. Tell everyone to bring a dish (traditional or non-traditional) and prepare some fun games to play (Apples to Apples, Charades, and a White Elephant gift exchange). You’ll be introduced to other people’s traditions and be able to create your own in the process.

Spread a little cheer

You don’t get that warm and fuzzy holiday feeling by standing in long lines at stores or diminishing your bank account. Step outside of your comfort zone and do a little bit more giving of yourself rather than products this year—not only does it make you feel good, but someone else as well. Try and volunteer at a local soup kitchen on Christmas Eve, or create a care package for a family in need. This puts everything in perspective of how precious life is and what there is to be thankful for. Thanksgiving morning I ran in the “Turkey Trot 5k”, a “Feed the Hungry” fundraiser that raises money for local food and homeless shelters in Vero Beach.  Not only did I get a great work-out but I was able to contribute to a meaningful cause.

So don’t stress if your holiday season doesn’t live up to your childhood memories. You have the ability to make the best of any situation and find ways to have a happy holiday, even if all you do is add some marshmallows to your hot cocoa!

Happy Holidays, where ever you are!

---Tatiana Giustizia

Funding Challenges Facing The IM Sulzbacher Center

   The I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless has been a North Florida Health Corps site since the inception of the program in 2003.  Currently two NFHC members serve at different Sulzbacher Medical Clinic locations, assisting patients in obtaining free medication.  Recently the funding of the Sulzbacher Center has been threatened due to cuts by the city, cuts that are only the most recent measure in a trend of the city’s decreasing funding for the Sulzbacher Center and Jacksonville charities in general.

Ever since its founding in 1995, The I.M. Sulzbacher Center for the Homeless has relied on some funding from the City of Jacksonville to fulfill its mission of fighting homelessness in Northeast Florida.  Over time, the share of the city’s contribution to the overall budget of the center has gradually declined.  In 2009 the shelter faced the potential total loss of this public contribution as the city council and mayor sought to reduce the city budget in response to the deepening economic crisis, in part by proposing to eliminate all public service grants, the kind of grants through which the Sulzbacher Center gets its city funding.  This scenario was avoided and the center did receive $600,000 dollars that year from the city, which at 11% of the total center budget represented the smallest share the city had ever taken in the center’s support.  The full scale of City Hall’s retreat from helping fund public service charities in Jacksonville goes far beyond the Sulzbacher Center, as the city’s public service grants will total only $2.3 million in 2013, down from their high of $11 million in 2005.

This steep drop over the past several years in city funding for Jacksonville charities is unfortunately not complete.  Little more than three months ago the Sulzbacher Center was informed by the city that it would be facing another large cut, this time of $580,000, in its city funding.  Without this money the center could not have afforded to keep open its women’s dorm, and 80 women would eventually have had to be turned out into the street.  This announcement lead to negotiations between Sulzbacher and city officials towards a compromise.  A march to and protest in front of city hall was planned by the women who would lose their housing if the cuts were allowed to stand, but just as they were preparing to head out the city contacted Sulzbacher to let them know that nearly $300,000 of the funding would be returned to the center.  This was enough to prevent the loss of the women’s dorm, but still presents a significant challenge for the operations of the Sulzbacher Center in the coming year.

Particularly distressing about the cuts the city has made in its support of the Sulzbacher Center is how unique and important the services provided by the center are.  As the largest homeless shelter in the city, with 340 beds, and as the only federally qualified Health Care for the Homeless center in the city, serving 4000 distinct patients each year between its two locations, the Sulzbacher Center plays a vital role in lifting people out of homelessness and improving the quality of life of those struggling with homelessness in Northeast Florida.  The City of Jacksonville now only provides a small fraction of the Sulzbacher Center’s funding, but even this portion is essential and ought to be maintained as it is an investment that returns enormous benefits in the lives of Jacksonville’s most vulnerable and marginalized population, its homeless.

Citations: 1 2 3

Jacksonville Holiday Events

The Landing's Christmas Tree,
Photo Courtesy of Google Images

December 7 - The 21st Annual Community Nutcracker Ballet at Florida Theatre Performing Arts Center
The Community Nutcracker is a 
non-profit donating proceeds from 
each performance to charitable organizations. Performances run December 7-8 starting at 2 pm. Buy Tickets at http://jaxnutcracker.org/tickets

December 7 - A Very Merry Jacksonville Christmas
A multi-cultural holiday performance presented by Stage Aurora. December 7 at 7 pm, December 8 at 2 pm and 6 pm, and December 9 at 3 pm. Tickets are $15.

December 8 - Photos with Santa at the Landing 5-8pm (FREE)
Get your photo taken with Santa Claus at the Landing. Click here for more info.

December 8 - 18th Annual Tuba Christmas at the Landing 2pm (FREE)
Over 100 tubas come together to play your holiday favorites at the Landing.

December 8 - Riverside Arts Market Holidazzle (FREE)
The RAM will have extended hours until 9pm to get your holiday shopping complete from local vendors. After sunset holiday classics will be projected and holiday cocktails served. Take advantage of community organizations’ gift wrapping stations.

December 9 - Chanukah at the Landing from 3-6pm (FREE)
Watch the lighting of the 13 foot menorah and enjoy food and games!

December 10 - Jacksonville Symphony Youth Orchestra Holiday Concert at the Times-Union Performing Arts Center 7pm (FREE)

December 14 - First Annual ZOOLights
Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens decorates with thousands of LED lights to get into the holiday spirit. Ride on the train, carousel, and a 4-D Theater ride on the Polar Express are all part of the festivities. For Tickets, visit: http://www.jacksonvillezoo.org/

December 16 - Yappy Hour Christmas “Paw”ty at the Landing

Enjoy the last Yappy Hour pet party of the year at the Landing! There will be free puppy photos with Santa with a pet food donation and raffle prizes. Click here for more information.

December 19 - 99.1 WQIK Winter Wonder Jam at the Landing
Enjoy a free concert by Easton Corbin hosted by 99.1 WQIK. Enjoy Christmas music, tree lighting shows every hour, pictures with Santa and kids activities. Click here for more information.

December 29-30 - Old Town Art & Craft Show in St. Augustine
Enjoy a free art and craft show in St. Augustine on New Year's Eve Weekend from 10am-5pm.   The event takes place in Francis Field and will have goods ranging from jewelry to paintings to wood carvings. For more information visit: http://www.holidayartshows.com/old-town-art-craft-show.html

Until January 6 - Winter Wonderland in St. Augustine
The St. Augustine Amphitheater will host its 6th annual Winter Wonderland skating rink, carnival games, ice chute and visits with Santa. 
For more information and tickets visit: http://www.winterwonderlandfl.com/

Holidays on a Budget: Gift Giving

The holidays are here, and I for one could not be more thrilled.  There is nothing better than snuggling up by the fire with a blanket and some hot cocoa while watching "A Christmas Story," (or my personal favorite, "Elf") for the hundredth time.  People are caroling, cookies are baking, snow is falling..well not so much the snow part in Florida but you get the idea.  So why are some people acting more like the Grinch than Cindy Lou Hoo?  The answer: Money.  Many of us have more people to buy gifts for than funds allow.  Having so many loved ones is a great problem to have, but with people going into debt left and right, you have to stay within your budget.  Be not afraid, for I have divided your Christmas list into categories and found inexpensive, yet unforgettable gifts for everyone in your life. 

Parents:

Etched baking dish

This season the etched baking dish is a huge favorite among both new and experienced DIYers.  Filling it with brownies is optional (but very encouraged in my house).  I plan on doing this for my parents, my friends’ parents, my parents’ friends, etc.  Step-by-step instructions can be found here.  Here's my favorite holiday dessert recipe .  This also looks like a tasty holiday treat. 

• Buy a couple of holiday movies from the $5 box at Target and a box of popcorn and you’ve given your parent(s) a fun night that the whole family can enjoy.  If you are more of a gaming family, pick up a new board game and some snacks.

• If you’re like me, you love decorating frames.  If you aren’t like me, you probably love buying cheap, already decorated frames.  Either way, print out a nice picture and put it in the frame (some parents aren’t tech savvy enough to do this themselves. Sorry, Mom.)  What makes this gift really special is writing a note on the back.  For my grandma, I ModgePodged scrapbook paper to the front and back of a frame, and used a Sharpie to write a note that covered the back and told her how special she was to me.  For a while she even displayed the frame backwards.  Parents love the sentimental stuff. 

Significant Other:

52 Things I Love About You Deck of Cards

I did this for my boyfriend and he thought I was so thoughtful that it never even crossed his mind that I was also cheap!  The rings can be found at Staples.  I made the cards look "weathered" with a stamp pad.  The complete tutorial can be found here.

Here is a link to the labels I used.  I wrote on them by saving as a PDF and "signing" them in Adobe Reader.  I used Californian font. 

• Don’t feel like cutting/gluing this holiday season?  Give an experience instead of a thing.  Memories last forever!  Take your better half ice skating or to a favorite restaurant (if you’re feeling generous, even spring for appetizer/dessert), or to see their favorite team play.  See a cheap concert in your area or go on that camping trip you’ve been talking about for months. 

Friends:

 



SecretSanta.com does all of the work for you...
Besides shopping and shipping, sigh.

Suggest that you all participate in Secret Santa.  That way, you don’t leave anyone out but you only have to buy one gift.  My best friends and I can’t be together for the holidays this year so we registered on this site.  It emails each person and randomly assigns who they will be buying a gift for.  The site is great and lets everyone make a wish list, just incase you get that friend who has everything.  Feel free to do it the old-fashioned way by picking names out of a hat if you're lucky enough to have your friends close by! 

Coworkers/Neighbors/Classmates:

Hot Chocolate Snowmen

These adorable snowmen are perfect for

mass-gifting.  They are made from stage-2 baby food jars or 1/2 pint canning jars. The top jar is filled with marshmallows. The middle jar is filled with hot chocolate mix. The bottom jar is filled with mints. 

How to make the hat: Place a piece of black felt under the lid of the top jar and wrap a black ribbon around the top of the lid.

How to make the scarf: Tie a piece of patterned scrap fabric and cut the ends of it to create fringe.

Use a sharpie to give your snowmen a face and use a hot glue gun to keep it all together .

Merry Kissmas and a Chappy New Year

This blog has a cute, inexpesive idea that is also quite punny.  Plus, you can never have enough chapstick, especially during these cold winter months.  I think that I reapplied my chapstick at least twice just in the time it took me to write about this gift!




-Jessica Ball