Florida State College at Jacksonville is seeking faculty, staff, students and members of the public to be part of the #ColorMeFSCJ art exhibit.
The goal is to transform a life-size coloring page into a “collaborative masterpiece” that will be used to welcome students during the fall term.
Those wanting to take part are asked to help convert the blank Open Campus/Deerwood Center Gallery walls into art. The address is 9911 Old Baymeadows Road.
Crayons will be provided. Participants are asked to take a picture of their contribution and share it on social media using the hashtag #ColorMeFSCJ. Weekly favorites will be shared.
The project runs through Sept. 24.
Green Building Council annual meeting in town
Convergence, the U.S. Green Building Council’s annual meeting of community leaders and volunteers, began Tuesday and is in town until Thursday.
Several service projects have been scheduled Thursday as part of the conference, including:
• Members of the council and Green Veterans, a nonprofit founded by the South Florida chapter, will head to the Veterans of Foreign Wars 1689 Hall to provide an energy audit of the building and help make on-site fixes.
• There will be a Hogans Creek cleanup on the S-Line in conjunction with Groundwork Jacksonville. Volunteers will clean up a section of the S-Line creek to improve access to the trail for residents and help the Green Team Youth Corps this summer prepare to install bioswales and rain gardens.
• A beach cleanup with Keep Jacksonville Beautiful to beautify the Jacksonville Beach pier by removing debris.
For information about these projects and others, visit convergence.usgbc.org/programming#sustain.
Baby giraffe born at Jacksonville Zoo
The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has a new addition.
The zoo welcomed a male reticulated giraffe June 12, the 39th giraffe born at the zoo.
The baby was born to mother Naomi, who has had four previous calves, and father, Duke, who has sired 15 giraffes. The newborn is 6-foot-4 and weighed 187 pounds at birth. It’s the tallest giraffe born at the zoo.
After examinations, the mother and offspring were placed back in exhibit with the rest of the herd — just in time for World Giraffe Day, which was celebrated Tuesday.
City, group trying for CrossFit Games
The JaxSports Council has submitted a bid to host the CrossFit Games for 2017-19 and is partnering with the city, SMG and Jacksonville Jaguars on the effort.
Also part of that push will be a social media campaign, #Burpee4theBid, which references the burpee — an aerobic, full-body exercise using a squat thrust.
For the next two weeks, owners and people at Crossfit “boxes” — barebones gyms — will take videos and pictures of their burpees to share on social media. The goal is to challenge friends to participate.
Mayor Lenny Curry this morning was at Crucible CrossFit in North Jacksonville to show his support.
This year’s games will be July 19-24.
Ritz Theatre now home of Stage Aurora company
The Ritz Theatre & Museum in LaVilla is the new home of Stage Aurora Theatrical Co., the city’s longest running African-American production company.
The group has produced more than 100 theatrical productions, including Pulitzer Prize winners like “Driving Miss Daisy, ”To Kill A Mockingbird,” and “The Piano Lesson,” along with Tony Award winners such as “The Color Purple” and “A Raisin in the Sun.”
The nonprofit was founded in 2001 by Darryl Reuben Hall to “enlighten the mind by way of the arts through the African-American experience,” according to a news release.
It previously held plays at Florida State College of Jacksonville’s North Campus and was housed at Gateway Town Center.
Downtown Jacksonville app live
Downtown Vision Inc. has launched its free DTJAX app for people exploring the urban core.
The app, available for iPhone and Android users, offers a directory, events calendar, transit information and optional notifications of Downtown openings, specials and events.
It’s meant to centralize Downtown resources with up-to-date listings for restaurants and nightlife, art and culture, shopping, parks and more. Restaurant and club listings integrate the Yelp ratings system.
Other features include directions to area locales, a #DTJax social media blog, weekly e-newsletter and push notifications.
City hosting military career fair on Friday
The City of Jacksonville’s Military and Veterans Affairs division is encouraging local veterans, active duty and military spouses seeking employment to attend a VetReady career fair at 11 a.m. Friday at the Hilton Garden Inn Jacksonville Airport, 13503 Ranch Road.
Industries being represented include sales, information technology and engineering.
Participants are encouraged to be prepared for on-site interviews.
For information, visit vetready.org/index.php/jacksonville-career-fair.
Recent UNF grad awarded national fellowship
Kami Richmond, a recent University of North Florida graduate, received a $5,000 fellowship from the The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
The organization is the oldest honor society for all academic disciplines, according to a news release.
Richmond is among 51 students in the U.S. to receive the fellowship after graduating in the spring with a bachelor’s degree in economics and international business from the Coggin College of Business. She also was an honor student in the Hicks Honors College.
As a fellow, she will start a master’s of public administration program with a focus in public and nonprofit management at Syracuse University next month.
Her goal is to work in the United Nations or another transnational nongovernmental group that provides humanitarian assistance to refugees and orphans.
Students receive the fellowship based on graduate potential, undergraduate academic success, service and leadership experience among other criteria.
Perdue buys building for nearly $2M
One historic Downtown building finalized a change of hands in the past week.
Perdue Office Interiors purchased the building it’s housed in at 5 W. Forsyth St. for close to $2 million. The company was represented by Cushman & Wakefield, which announced the transaction last week.
The two-story, 20,000-square-foot building was built in 1916, the same year Perdue Office Interiors was founded. It also houses CoWork Jax.