Giving as Gifts

Holidays, concentrated as they are at year’s end, help brighten days that are cold and short and bridge the gap between harvest and renewal seasons. They also serve to focus attention on people who may be unable to afford or enjoy holiday celebrations that for so many, are characterized by excess rather than restraint.

They lead us, too, to appreciate the world around us and to recognize that its survival is not guaranteed. All along the Emerald Coast, good people are doing good works in support of nonprofits that among other activities protect the environment, heal the sick and injured and start marginalized children along paths to succeed. Following are profiles of four organizations that have an inclusive sense of community on their hearts.

This holiday season, you may wish to make a contribution to one or more of them or to another deserving organization anonymously, in your name or in the name of a loved one. — Steve Bornhoft, Executive Editor, Emerald Coast Magazine

Bay County Nature Conservancy

In 2017, Panama City artist Jane Perry completed a three-dimensional nature landscape mural that faces the Mary Ola Reynolds Miller Palm Preserve. Miller, an art and nature lover and the original owner of the Gallery of Art in downtown Panama City, donated the land for the preserve to the Bay County Conservancy in 2011. Photo by Theresa Nooney

Candis Harbison is passionate about Chinese tallow trees, known familiarly as popcorn trees.

She hates them.

Left unchecked, the invasive plant spreads like kudzu and overtakes native vegetation. In Bay County, the unwelcome trees have no greater adversary than Harbison and the volunteers she marshals at the Conservancy, an organization that was established in the first place in 1998 to manage a 30-acre urban wetland threatened by development.

The property would come to be known as the Audubon Nature Preserve. The nascent Conservancy secured grants with which to establish it as a center for environmental education and spiritual renewal. With the assistance of Americorps workers, a boardwalk, gazebo and informational kiosk were constructed.

And those popcorn trees, they had to go.

An enthusiastic group of 30 middle schoolers pulled up 12,000 popcorn tree seedlings and saplings. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection used the site to perform a demonstration of popcorn tree removal; Americorps contributed labor and expertise; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service donated herbicide and tools for further exotics removal.

Over time, the Conservancy has acquired additional environmentally sensitive parcels. It now owns 22 preserves in five counties totaling 390 acres. Accordingly, its full name is now the Bay County Nature Conservancy – The Land Conservancy of Northwest Florida.

The nonprofit organization is a member of the Land Trust Alliance. Its overarching goal is to acquire land that will enhance the natural resources of the area now and into the future. The Conservancy both purchases land, such as endangered wetlands, and accepts parcels as tax-exempt donations. Land is also preserved through the use of conservation easements.

As part of its educational efforts, the Conservancy promotes understanding of the various benefits of wetlands including wildlife habitat, stormwater retention, aquifer recharge, air cleansing, recreational uses and value as green space.

“Land conservation is truly an area where individuals can make a difference,” Harbison emphasizes. “We invite people to join us in preserving the Panhandle’s natural environment by joining others who value clean water, open space, and diversity of plants and animals. Become a member of the Bay County Conservancy – The Land Conservancy of Northwest Florida. Volunteer your energy and abilities, donate money or land, and spread the word.”

Harbison is grateful for the many people who have contributed to the Conservancy’s effectiveness.

“The success of the BCC has been possible only because of the massive volunteer effort,” she said. “Past and present members of the board of directors have given time, talent and money to the cause, while citizens, family foundations, businesses, school groups and civic organizations have supported land preservation through donations of money and equipment plus hard, sweaty volunteer work on the ground. Government entities and large foundations have been the source of funds from time to time. And, of course, there are the landowners who have donated their property.” — Steve Bornhoft, Executive Editor, Emerald Coast Magazine

The Bay County Nature Conservancy may be reached at (850) 381-7500 or by using the Connect With Us form located at baycountyconservancy.org.

St. Andrew Community Medical Center

Photo by Mike Fender

A man who appears to be in his 50s arrives at the St. Andrew Community Medical Center in obvious pain, an arm hanging loose by his side.

He is met by Christina Maynard, an advanced practice RN and the center’s wound care specialist.

After a few minutes, Maynard displays a phone photo of the man’s injury and the associated discoloration and swelling to Dr. Jimmie McCready, the center’s medical director who, for 31 years, worked as an
ER physician.

Maynard reports that the man had visited a local hospital but was not admitted or treated. Instead, he was referred to an orthopedist whose services, McCready said, he likely would be unable to afford.

“I kind of set it,” Maynard says. “I got him in a shoulder brace and sling. I told him not to move his arm, and he is coming back tomorrow.”

“Chrissy is awesome,” McCready says. “With Jesus’ help, she can heal anything.”

At St. Andrew Community Medical Center (SACMC), Maynard engages in her healing ministry free of charge. She is among some 45 licensed medical professionals — nurses, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and doctors — most of whom volunteer their services at the community-supported facility. In exchange, the state guarantees them sovereign immunity. Another 30 volunteers handle duties ranging from filing to grant writing.

SACMC was established in 2004 in a house in Panama City’s St. Andrew neighborhood. Eight years later, it moved into a building that had been acquired by St. Andrew Baptist Church.

“We’re a clinic that provides support to the working poor, the people who fall through the cracks,” said Delbert Summey, Ph.D., who is SACMC’s board president. “Our patients have no medical insurance, and their income has to be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Plus, you must be residing in Bay County.”

SACMC acts as a primary care physician for people who would otherwise be without one.

“We keep people out of the ERs,” Summey said. “The reason that people of means don’t go to the ER much is because they have primary care physicians who are monitoring their health. Some of our patients have never seen a doctor in their lifetimes.” — Steve Bornhoft, Executive Editor, Emerald Coast Magazine

The St. Andrew Community Medical Center is located at 3101-B U.S. Highway 98 in Panama City; (850) 785-1419; sacmc.org.

Studer Community Institute/Early Learning

Photo courtesy of the Studer Community Institute

Studies suggest that between 80% to 85% of brain development occurs in the first three years of life. In view of that data and driven by a heart for its community, the Studer Community Institute (SCI) has invested heavily in early learning. SCI offers a number of tools, resources and partnerships that empower parents and other caregivers and emphasize the importance of talk and interaction in stimulating healthy brain development.

In 2017, SCI launched its “Brain Bag” program with a grant from IMPACT 100 Pensacola Bay. Brain Bags, which are distributed at Baptist, Sacred Heart, Santa Rosa Medical and West Florida hospitals, include a video lesson and tool kit stemming from two years of collaborative research involving SCI and the University of Chicago’s TMW Center for Early Learning and Public Health. SCI also partners with The Basics Learning Network to provide educational materials as well as access to Basics Insights, a weekly texting service that shares advice with caregivers.

In-person programs, such as SCI’s Parent Outreach and Sibling Brain Builders Programs, offer materials and curriculum that provide guidance and encouragement as caregivers and siblings work together to build literacy and speaking skills through early life interactions and engagement.

While a great deal of early learning and development takes place within the home, SCI also understands the power of play. Communal spaces give growing children the opportunity to get exercise, experience nature and build social skills. That is why SCI has worked to develop a series of playgrounds through its Make Play Smart effort. These playgrounds, which include those at the Bodacious Brew Thru and Moreno Court housing complex, provide safe spaces for children and their families to enjoy. — Emma Witmer, writer, Emerald Coast Magazine

To support the Studer Community Institute’s Early Learning Program and its Brain Bag and Parent Outreach initiatives, visit studeri.org/donate-early-learning.

Full Circle Music Foundation

Photo by iStock / Getty Images Plus: Denisfilm

Marlayna Goosby’s daughter, Kilaya, has always struggled with conventional academic curriculum.

Year after year, she watched as her child failed both classroom and standardized tests. Kilaya’s self-esteem suffered. Because she had a low GPA, she was not allowed to participate in extracurricular clubs. She was humiliated by a teacher in front of a class.

It wasn’t until Kilaya received a dyslexia and test anxiety diagnosis that Goosby understood how to help.

“As a mother, I wondered how I could support her and rebuild her confidence because I know when kids feel like they can conquer things; it translates to other areas of their life,” Goosby said. “I have been a musician for 33 years and figured, ‘Why not let her see if she wants to play music?’”

Kilaya picked up the trombone in fifth grade, and as Goosby predicted, self-assurance began to become apparent in the classroom in addition to the band room. Inspired to transform the lives of other students with learning difficulties through music education, Goosby founded the Full Circle Music Foundation in 2021.

The foundation, which has raised $20,000 through private donations and fundraising since its inception, targets Okaloosa County children, who do not present behavioral issues, but whose talents may be overlooked due to poor academic performance.

It partners with the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, the Montessori Learning Center, Choctaw High School and Goosby’s for-profit music lesson business, Grow Your Gift Conservatory of Music, to provide music instruction and the tools that elementary, middle and high school students need to learn an instrument.

Goosby said in the case of Kilaya, dedicating herself to playing an instrument taught her to be a self-advocate. She now asks for extra time should she need it, and she is the Trombone Section Leader at Choctaw High School for her senior year.

“I share a lot of the same fears and wishes parents have about hoping our kids can make their way in the world,” Goosby said. “Watching the 50 children we serve grow and learn to master difficult things is something special.”

As of this writing, the foundation is gearing up for its first Full Circle Music Fest, a full-day concert showcase and celebration slated for summer 2024. Goosby welcomes new sponsors and said there are vendor opportunities for local artists. — Hannah Burke, contributing writer, Emerald Coast Magazine

Full Circle gladly accepts donations of musical instruments and private contributions to further its mission. To help, visit fullcirclemusicfoundation.org/donate.