Fleming’s Brian Nick wins tickets to 2026 Florida Theatre events
JACKSONVILLE – Congratulations to Fleming Island’s Brian Nick, the winner of the 2025 Ticket Drawing fundraiser for the historic Florida Theatre.
Brian will receive one pair of tickets in the first six rows to each artist presented by the Florida Theatre in 2026 – a $15,000 plus value. For artists with multiple performances, Brian will receive a pair of tickets to one performance by that artist.
“Show ticket sales cover just half of the Florida Theatre’s annual budget. Fundraisers like this help us close the gap each year. This is the 11th year in a row the Florida Theatre has held the Annual Ticket Drawing. More than 1,500 tickets were sold, which raised $39,000 for our non-profit Theatre,” said Kevin Stone, Interim President/VP of Programming at the Florida Theatre.
“I’ve been attending shows at the Florida Theatre for about four years, averaging around five shows a year, and I often look through the lineup wishing I could attend more,” Nick said. “I discovered the annual ticket drawing by following the Florida Theatre online (floridatheatre.com) and thought it was a great opportunity to support a venue I love while having the chance to experience even more of what they offer.
“I’m incredibly grateful and excited to have won this year’s drawing. It will have a major impact on my entertainment experiences in 2026 by removing the need to choose between shows and allowing me to attend performances I might have otherwise missed. It’s a meaningful gift that I look forward to enjoying as much as possible.”
To learn how you can support the historic, nonprofit Florida Theatre throughout the year and inspire generations to come, please visit floridatheatre.com/support.
Farah & Farah’s relaunches Empowering Greatness Scholarships
JACKSONVILLE – The Farah & Farah personal injury law firm is proud to announce the relaunch of its fifth annual Empowering Greatness Scholarship. In partnership with the Florida Prepaid College Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Florida, the scholarship recognizes five outstanding high school students with a two-year college scholarship.
“We’re thrilled to continue to support the next generation of exceptional leaders with this scholarship,” said Eddie Farah, founding partner of Farah & Farah. “The absolute best part of my year is calling these outstanding young people and telling them they won the scholarship and their first two years of college are on us.”
This year’s scholarship is the product of a collaboration between Farah & Farah, Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Florida, and the Florida Prepaid College Foundation. The partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters underscores the importance of mentorship in a young person’s life. By providing financial support for higher education, Farah & Farah hopes to further empower these young people to achieve their dreams.
Scholarship winners receive a Florida Prepaid College Foundation two-year College Plan that covers tuition and most fees for 60 credit hours at any Florida public college. The plan value can also be applied to universities or trade schools in Florida.
To qualify, students need to be currently enrolled in a public or charter high school in Florida, demonstrate a stellar commitment to their communities and the classroom, and meet additional eligibility criteria. Scholarship recipients will be announced in May.
Each year, a scholarship committee assesses submitted applications using a comprehensive framework. The top 10% of these applicants will advance to a final selection round with reviews from a distinguished panel of judges, including recognized leaders in their communities and respective fields, as well as past scholarship recipients.
Students can submit their applications through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Florida online application portal. Eligible students should submit the completed application no later than Friday, Feb. 13. For more information, please visit farahandfarah.com/scholarship or email: scholarships@farahandfarah.com.
First Coast Oil Painters to debut exhibit at Mossman Hall on Feb. 6
MELROSE – The newly formed First Coast Oil Painters will present its inaugural exhibition, “A Fruit for All Seasons,” featuring nearly 60 works at the historic Mossman Hall on Feb. 6 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
In addition to artwork, the evening will include a unique opportunity to explore three compelling stories of interest of local interest about the ongoing vitality of the First Friday Art Walk, the rich history of Mossman Hall and the Mossman Home Preservation Foundation, along with the debut exhibition of the First Coast Oil Painters.
All members are seasoned, professionals from Clay County. The exhibiting artists are Deborah Ferro, Tsuneko, Alison McCauley, Betty McKee and Phyllis and Renninger.
There will be complimentary beer and wine, but donations will be welcomed.
Mossman Hall is at 301 State Road 26.
Reinhold Foundation accepting Celebrate Clay nonprofit nominations
FLEMING ISLAND – The Paul E. and Klare N. Reinhold Foundation, Inc. is welcoming applications for the 2026 Celebrate Clay awards, an annual community service recognition program honoring outstanding organizations and individuals serving the Clay County community.
The Foundation will award as much as $100,000 in cash prizes, including Category Awards of $1,000 to the prestigious $15,000 Paul E. Reinhold Community Service Award. Recipients will be announced at the 2026 “Celebrate Clay” awards breakfast on April 28. A panel of judges will vote on the best projects of 2025 to determine the recipients of the cash awards.
Eligible applicants encouraged to apply include 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organizations, as well as school and church outreach groups that provided services to Clay County residents in 2025.
Celebrate Clay is a program to support the ongoing efforts of the charitable organizations in the community working to strengthen and enrich Clay County. Program details and applications are available at reinhold.net.
The application deadline is Tuesday, Feb. 3.
For more information, contact Amy Parker, Executive Director at (904) 269-5857, ext. 404 or at aparker@reinhold.net.