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"To whom much is given, much is expected.” My vision for our chapter is to continue to grow while challenging ourselves to be more creative and more innovative than ever before.  Amid the Coronavirus Pandemic, all of us are having to readjust to a "new normal". How do we continue to provide world class service to our children, face to face or through virtual innovative ways during this critical time?

 

The Jacksonville Chapter has celebrated 31 years of dedicated service to the children in this city.  We have been a part of giving out book bags with school supplies, participating in African American Read-In activities and creating reading centers in local barbershops.  We have facilitated workshops and presentations that addressed the five components to which we have committed ourselves in the areas of Health, Education, Employment, Recreation and Arts and Humanities.  We were able to provide thousands of dollars in scholarships each year.

 

In years past, we have even provided carnivals for younger children, to connect and build relationships with them so they could have a head start in their educational development. The world in which we live has drastically changed and the disruption of a Global Pandemic that affected the education of our children has required that we intentionally move forward to enrich their lives if they are to have any chance of having a better quality of life which they deserve.  Because of this reality, we know that providing face-to-face interactions with the children we have served has been effective and we will continue to provide service that will give them what they cannot find in the virtual world. Therefore, going forward; we will need to be more creative and committed to keeping the momentum going for the children we will have the privilege of serving.

 

With God's continued blessings and the magnificent women in the Jacksonville Chapter, I can only say…   “You ain't seen nothing yet!”

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Gayle A. Hardy

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President,

Continental Societies, Inc.

Jacksonville Chapter

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