{"id":236217,"date":"2026-04-17T22:14:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/236217\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T22:14:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T22:14:08","slug":"child-guidance-center-to-host-5th-annual-gala-marking-75-years-of-service","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/236217\/","title":{"rendered":"Child Guidance Center to host 5th annual gala, marking 75 years of service"},"content":{"rendered":"

Do you prefer sneakers or stilettos? One night can change lives and help thousands of kids and families find hope through mental health support.<\/p>\n

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. \u2014 The\u00a0Child Guidance Center<\/a> is celebrating a major milestone while raising money to support youth mental health services across Northeast Florida.<\/p>\n

The nonprofit will host its fifth annual Sandals, Sneakers & Stilettos Gala\u00a0<\/a>next Friday at San Jose Country Club. The event comes as the organization marks 75 years of serving children and families in the Jacksonville community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is a big deal to have been around in Jacksonville for 75 years,\u201d said Theresa Rulien, president and CEO of the Child Guidance Center. \u201cWe\u2019ve really tried to grow with the community in the way that the community needs us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The center provides mental health services to about 4,000 children each year. When including parents, siblings and caregivers, that impact reaches roughly 12,000 people annually.<\/p>\n

Services range from traditional outpatient care to in-school counseling through Duval County Public Schools, in-home support and a 24\/7 mobile crisis response team available to all ages.<\/p>\n

Rulien said the need for accessible mental health care continues to grow, especially as more families face stress, trauma and everyday challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe all have something going on at some time,\u201d she said. \u201cHaving somebody to talk to, to work out issues and to minimize the stigma is so important.\u201d<\/p>\n

The gala serves as one of the organization\u2019s key fundraisers, helping ensure those services remain available to families regardless of their ability to pay. Proceeds support counseling programs and expand outreach efforts throughout the community.<\/p>\n

The event will include live music, food, dancing and both silent and live auctions. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite footwear \u2014 from sandals to sneakers to stilettos \u2014 as part of the theme.\u00a0 First Coast News Anchor Anthony Austin will emcee the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Organizers say community support is critical, whether through attending the event, bidding in the auction or making a donation.<\/p>\n

For those unable to attend, more information about the Child Guidance Center and ways to give can be found on the organization\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n

As the center looks ahead, Rulien said the mission remains the same: meeting families where they are and providing the support they need.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been here 75 years,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd it means a lot to continue providing mental health services to those who need it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Do you prefer sneakers or stilettos? One night can change lives and help thousands of kids and families…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":236218,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":{"0":"post-236217","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-jacksonville","8":"tag-jacksonville","9":"tag-jacksonville-headlines","10":"tag-jacksonville-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236217"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236217\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}