We invite you to visit this page often to stay abreast of the latest news from the Greater Jacksonville Area USO.
NAS Jax Center shot out of the blocks in full gallop during the first quarter of Calendar Year 2009 (January through March). January brought the highly anticipated “Seats for Soldiers” Orlando Magic Basketball game versus the Atlanta Hawks in Amway Arena downtown Orlando. Over 200 Jacksonville active duty members and a guest were able to enjoy a free professional basketball game courtesy of the Orlando Magic organization – their way of saying Thank You to Florida’s finest. We were delighted that our NAS Jax Morale, Welfare & Recreation Department “partners for our troops” joined the cause by contracting three “coach” busses to transport everyone back and forth from to the game - in style. MWR also provided a free lunch and drinks – Well done and thank you NAS JAX MWR!
Valentine’s Day produced the FIRST ANNUAL “Sweethearts for the USO Regatta” sailboat races here aboard the Air Station, hosted by the NAS Jax Yacht Club. Commodore Jeanne Bailey and her crew exhausted numerous hours planning, coordinating and pulling off an absolutely fantastic and fun event. The races were exciting, prizes awarded, socializing and food great and overall an exciting day. Most important, funds were raised in support of your Jax Area USO. BRAVO ZULU Commodore Bailey and the rest of your crew – Thank you from our troops and families.
Hyatt Regency then hosted the annual Nationwide Insurance Company corporate executive gathering. Nationwide’s charity of choice at the weeklong meeting was your very own Jax Area USO, where they donated over $10,000.00 in our support of the many family-related programs geared toward improving things on the home front for our troops. We all know that when things are good at home, our troops can concentrate on their duties overseas. We appreciate your support Nationwide!
March brings a full schedule of five exciting and fun events. Saturday, March 14, Orange Park Fleet Reserve Branch #91 will conduct its first annual USO St. Patty’s Day Motorcycle Poker Run – registration is the day of the ride at 11 a.m. at the Branch’s Headquarters on Collins Road. Another event on this day will be held in Melbourne, Florida at the Northrop Grumman Headquarters – Operation USO Care Package, stuffing goodie bags for our troops overseas. Saturday, March 21st your USO will host the Corvette Club of Mandarin for a Poker Run commencing at the NAS Jas USO, and ending at the Mayport Center USO. Registration is 9am.
Sunday, March 22nd brings “Project Little Feet” at your Metropolitan Park courtesy of our city of Jacksonville. This event will host expectant active duty mothers and spouses, allowing them to meet numerous vendors and receive free gifts to make that special day memorable. Your Jax USO will be there in full style, providing “oneies” for our expectant mothers!
The event will be held from 1 to 4 pm.
Finally, the folks at NAS Jax MWR will host your USO’s sixth annual Bob Coonan Memorial Golf Tournament on Thursday, March 26. This tournament is in honor of our former Executive Officer and a great friend to all. Contact your USO for registration forms and information.
The Greater Jacksonville Area USO Staff would like to personally thank our local community, service members, and families for their tremendous support. We’re rolling with lots of great things. We realize that economic times are tough. It is extremely rewarding that despite these tough times, our local population continues to show their devotion and appreciation for the many sacrifices our troops and families make in defense of the many freedoms we enjoy. Thank you to everyone!
The Mayport USO Center has gone through some changes in the last three months. The biggest change being a new center director, Mr. Ed Champagne has joined the USO. He is now busy making necessary changes to help the center run more efficiently.
During the last three months the Center has held five No Dough Dinners and serves approximately 800 people. During the holidays, 250 food baskets and toys were distributed to 236 families. The center has provided space for 153 different meeting in the last three months.
The JIA Welcome Center is expanding! The USO Welcome Center will take possession of its old space on May 1st, 2009 and will convert it to sleeping/ private room. The space will be used for overnight guests who would like to stretch out and sleep and for over flow when our Center is full. It will also be a private area for families to say good bye when a service member deploys.
