EVE Awards: Finalists named in education, volunteerism, employment

Times-Union

Eve is about being first.

The first and most esteemed awards for women bear the name of the first woman.

It takes an EVE to choose an EVE. Each year three women are chosen by their peers and named EVE Award winners by the Times-Union. The award honors women for contributions and efforts during the previous year that have made lasting improvements in the fields of education, volunteer service and employment.

EVE began in 1969 and has evolved with the changing roles of women. From the beginning, EVE has always meant being first. EVE is the woman at the pinnacle of her achievement. She wears many faces and is first in extraordinary ways. Whether educator, chairwoman or entrepreneur, EVE’s legacy is first and always citizen, catalyst, leader, mentor and role model.

EVE sees needs and fills them. She is a visionary, a problem-solver, a force for change and a barometer of the times.

EVE is legendary. She will always be a positive force … continuing the tradition.

EDUCATION FINALISTS

PATTY ADEEB
Adeeb’s efforts to give people a second chance in life have spawned numerous programs at FSCJ. She expanded the traditional on-site GED courses to make them available for those in community, homeless and correctional institutions. As former director of the college’s Deerwood Center, Patty developed the TRACK academic program for Wounded Warriors and has overseen 15 TRACK graduations. Her programs within the Sulzbacher Center and three Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office correctional centers were major areas of growth for the college’s Pre-Collegiate Studies program. One of her references wrote: “Dr. Adeeb’s work is impeccable. While employed at FSCJ, she has been in partnerships to assist underserved students including: Family Promise, JSO, Sulzbacher Center, Eureka Gardens, Wounded Warrior Program, Adult Education and College Outreach and our High School Credit and Equivalency Programs.”

AMBER AMERSON
Amerson won the prestigious 2015 Arts Educator Award bestowed by the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville. Her ongoing efforts to pinpoint the perils of peer bullying culminated this year with a public awareness campaign featuring a commercial, “Silence is a Bully’s Best Friend.” Formerly, Amerson wrote, directed and produced a nationally recognized one-act play, “A Step in the Right Direction,” also about bullying. At a national teachers’ forum, Amerson presented the concept of her play and a manual that was developed to aid and encourage teachers throughout the country to produce the play. Amerson has taught for 17 years and is rated in the top 7 percent of highly effective teachers in Duval County.

SALLY HAZELIP
The school was founded in 1992 to improve the lives of students with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities. This year, Hazelip’s vision took the school’s on-site organic farm, Berry Good Farms, to a new level of school-based enterprise. Working with One Spark, the idea of a food truck for Berry Good Farms won second place in last year’s crowdfunding festival. This spring, Berry Good Farms On the Go food truck rolled out with fresh salads and sandwiches made by the students with produce from the farm. Hazelip’s efforts have enabled the students to not only grow organic and healthy food but to learn how to become productive citizens.

REBECCA SCHUMACHER
Schumacher’s motto is: “The kids who have the least when they come to school need to be given the most when they get to the school house door.” Definitely, in the past year, Schumacher has put her motto into action. She spearheaded efforts for UNF’s school counseling students to give thousands of volunteer hours to deliver support to Northside families. An amazing array of projects put her social justice philosophy into action. Her leadership led to career fairs, financial literacy nights, Bridges to Success workshops, classroom guidance lessons and parents’ nights. Schumacher is the professor in residence for one full day a week at West Jacksonville Elementary School and mentored once a week at Ribault Middle School last spring and fall.

VOLUNTEER SERVICE FINALISTS

CAROL ALEXANDER
As a volunteer, Alexander was the major creative force behind the American Beach Museum on Amelia Island that opened in September. A close friend of MaVynee Betsch, the late renowned historian and environmentalist, Alexander supported the Beach Lady’s determination to preserve American Beach’s story. Alexander drew upon her vast experience as producer, storyteller, educator and executive to bring the dream to fruition. She produced the gala opening and the museum’s inaugural exhibition, which shared the history of American Beach through Betsch’s personal papers, photographs and film. Alexander received a Mayor’s Trailblazer Award from Mayor Alvin Brown in February in recognition of her status as the founding executive director of the Ritz Theatre and Museum.

BOBBI DE CORDOVA-HANKS
De Cordova-Hanks founded Bosom Buddies, a support organization for breast cancer survivors, in 1988. It is now part of the Women’s Center of Jacksonville. Since its founding, the group has provided education, support and advocacy service to more than 7,000 breast cancer survivors. In the past year, de Cordova-Hanks has trained more than 36 survivors to serve as advocates and educated more than 300,000 people about breast cancer through media and speaking appearances. She co-authored with her husband Jerry a book, “Tears of Joy — In Sickness and in Health, A Cancer Survivor and Caregiver Share Their Story.” A three-time cancer survivor, she spoke at the 1990 congressional hearings on behalf of the board of directors of the national Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.

LISA OBRINGER
For 15 years, Obringer has been the driving force behind the food pantry at Catholic Charities in downtown Jacksonville. Last year, the food pantry served more than 14,000 people and provided more than 50,000 meals. In the past year, Obringer implemented a more efficient food distribution system that recruited a new cadre of volunteers to pre-screen clients for eligibility and enter the information into a database. Her initiative freed up the time of caseworkers and created a 100 percent volunteer-driven food pantry. This year, Catholic Charities awarded Obringer with its Lifetime Achievement Presidential Volunteer Service Award for more than 4,000 volunteer hours.

JULIA TAYLOR
Taylor was a founding member of WGA, an initiative of The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. Since its beginning in 2001, the alliance has made more than $4 million in grants. During Taylor’s two-year presidency that concluded last year, she grew the organization to an all-time high of 335 members and raised the grant-making pool nearly 40 percent over the previous year. A program to attract women under the age of 40 led to the creation of the first class of Delores Barr Weaver Fellows, a philanthropic track for the next generation of women to be civic leaders. Besides remarkable achievements in size, scope and diversity of the organization, Taylor and the alliance team delivered funding to five organizations that provide mental health services to women and girls.

EMPLOYMENT FINALISTS

TERRIE BRADY
As president of the DTU since 1999, Brady has a long record of excellent leadership and a commitment to the 13,000 employees her organization represents. In the past year, she has been part of a nationally recognized effort that forged a special Memorandum of Understanding with DTU and Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of Duval County public schools, that will allow principals unprecedented authority to choose their teaching staff. A second major accomplishment was a new contract for teachers. Once approved, it will make Duval County the first district in Florida to comply with state requirements for pay and retention and the highest-paying school district in Northeast Florida for new teachers.

DENISE DEISLER
Since 2011, Deisler has led the Jacksonville Humane Society and has made positive differences on animal welfare. She led successful efforts to transform Jacksonville into one of the largest no-kill cities in the United States. Her efforts mean that now more than 90 percent of the animals make it out of shelters alive as compared to 50 percent 10 years ago. Deisler guided the humane society’s Pet Safety Net Program aimed at providing resources to pet owners who are in danger of losing their pets due to financial or personal hardships. Last year, the program enabled 2,900 families to keep their pets. An expert voice in animal welfare, Deisler regularly shares her ideas at conferences.

MARY KAY O’ROURKE
Under O’Rourke’s leadership, HabiJax is in the fifth year of a $16 million capital campaign to provide homeownership to families in New Town. So far, HabiJax has built or rehabilitated 200 homes. Her vision has moved HabiJax into an even larger vision of answering the unmet need for economic development in New Town. Through her strategic plan, O’Rourke has employed a community and economic development director who will focus on commercial development along the Kings Road Corridor. Last June, HabiJax completed the 2014 Homebuilders Blitz in New Town, where 25 new homes and 25 repair projects were finished in just six days.

JU’COBY PITTMAN
For more than 22 years, Pittman has led the Clara White Mission which provides services to veterans, low-income and homeless persons. The century-old mission serves 500 daily breakfasts and provides licensed vocational training in culinary, janitorial industries, construction and catering services. Pittman is known as a driving force within the Jacksonville community, and her innovative ideas have offered second chances to many. She partnered with Sysco to create White Harvest Farms, a revenue generating farm in a food-dry community. Recently, the mission was awarded a contract with Baker County Prison Systems to bring vocational training to its inmates. The mission also partners with St. John’s Cathedral to serve buffet lunches each Friday.