By Shaun Ryan<\/p>\n
Everyone deserves to live with dignity, with respect, with unfettered opportunity.<\/p>\n
To that, we can all agree. But intellectual and developmental differences can render such a simple, universal goal elusive. Those struggling with autism, ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and spina bifida, for instance, often require specialized services to ensure they have all they need.<\/p>\n
And finding that support is not always easy.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, since 1993, Angelwood has been there to fill that role. The nonprofit currently makes a difference in the lives of about 300 residents of Northeast Florida and their families through a variety of means: summer camps for children, supported employment, behavioral services, adult day training and its five residential group homes.<\/p>\n
But the need is greater than the ability of most any organization, particularly a smaller one, to meet. For that reason, Angelwood is always seeking to grow even while maintaining its current services. And to accomplish that, it needs the support of the community. Fortunately, there are several ways the public can help, ways that people can demonstrate that they are good neighbors to those in need.<\/p>\n
The challenge<\/p>\n
The waiting list for critical services, especially for those with complex behavioral needs, is long, particularly for group homes. Some members of this population wind up in inappropriate environments, such as jail or Baker Act facilities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not because they belong there,\u201d said Angelwood Chief Executive Officer Heather Stamper. \u201cIt\u2019s because there\u2019s nowhere else for them to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Others live at home with aging parents, who worry about the future when they will no longer be able to take care of their children, even when the children are grown. In some cases, parents are simply not equipped to manage the types of complex needs that children with disabilities have \u2014 especially in those cases of dual diagnoses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe really just want to make sure that we\u2019re here to provide that service to families and to the individuals who are just desperate for placement,\u201d said Stamper.<\/p>\n
Of course, the need is equally great for the other services Angelwood provides, especially for families all over Northeast Florida who make use of the nonprofit\u2019s critical programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of the individuals who we serve have been in our programs since they were children,\u201d said Stamper. \u201cSo, they started at the summer camps and as they grew and got older, they finished school and they aged out and they moved into our group homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
In many cases, Angelwood becomes their family. Sustaining this support is a must.<\/p>\n
Good people<\/p>\n
Meeting the people Angelwood serves can be transformative.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I\u2019m stressed out about something or I\u2019m having a bad day, all I have to do is go out to one of the rooms at our day program,\u201d said Stamper. \u201cThat\u2019s all I do, is literally walk into the room. And all these faces look up at the doorway, and they are just thrilled and happy to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The unconditional love shown by those at the program is undeniable.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t even tell you what it\u2019s like, walking in and them being so excited to see you,\u201d said Stamper. \u201cThey jump out of their chairs. They give you fist bumps. They want to give you hugs. They want to show you what they\u2019re working on. Seeing their faces every day and knowing how important this program is to them, it changed my life. It changed me as a person.\u201d<\/p>\n
Likewise, she has witnessed how meeting the people served by Angelwood affects visitors.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s changed everybody that I\u2019ve ever given a tour to,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, in a world with so much division and vitriol, these encounters remind us of our shared humanity. If so, this population \u2014 despite its many challenges and struggles \u2014 is a gift to the rest of us.<\/p>\n
Ways to help<\/p>\n
Readers wanting to support this cause will be happy to learn that they can do so in many different ways.<\/p>\n
Shopping at Angelwood\u2019s thrift store should be on everyone\u2019s list. The store is located at 5711 Bowden Road in Jacksonville. It\u2019s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.<\/p>\n
Donations of items for the thrift store can also make a big difference. For more information, go to facebook.com\/angelwoodthriftstore or call 904-549-7583.<\/p>\n
Donations for the group homes can also help, things such as cleaning supplies and paper products. Those can be made at the main campus, 9100 N. Regency Square Blvd. in Jacksonville. For the adult day training program, consider donating arts-and-crafts supplies. For information, go to angelwoodjax.org or call 904-288-7259. Also, see facebook.com\/Angelwoodjax.<\/p>\n
Of course, financial donations are always welcome \u2014 and desperately needed. It\u2019s even possible to have monthly donations automatically deducted from bank accounts or charged to credit cards. Stamper said even $5 will make a difference. Like everyone else, Angelwood has to purchase groceries and pay bills.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, volunteering by individuals or groups, whether at the thrift store or group homes, is also critical.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have volunteers that come out to our houses, and they do a day of work,\u201d said Stamper. \u201cThey\u2019ll paint, and they\u2019ll pressure-wash and they\u2019ll clean up the yard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Development Director Ann Marie Beaty can offer guidance for potential volunteers.<\/p>\n
Celebration event<\/p>\n
The biggest fundraiser of the year is coming up on Aug. 15 at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort and Spa: The 2026 Soaring Possibilities Celebration \u2014 \u201cShine: An Evening of Gold, Glamour & Inspiration.\u201d<\/p>\n
There will be an excellent buffet-style dinner, a silent auction with many items, a live auction and more.<\/p>\n
The event starts at 5:30 p.m.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be very, very fun,\u201d said Stamper. \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the course of the evening, several members of the population Angelwood serves will win awards.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey get an award and get to come up on stage and be recognized for the things that they\u2019ve accomplished,\u201d said Stamper.<\/p>\n
Individual tickets for the Celebration event are $200 and can be purchased at https:\/\/Angelwood2026.givesmart.com.<\/p>\n
Sponsorships are also available and are, in fact, one of the most critical revenue sources for Angelwood. They range from $1,000 all the way up to $25,000, offering perks commensurate with the various levels of sponsorship.<\/p>\n
For sponsorship information, go to angelwoodjax.org\\celebration.<\/p>\n
The event is a fun way to do some real good for Northeast Florida families who must meet the challenge of developmental disabilities each day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Shaun Ryan Everyone deserves to live with dignity, with respect, with unfettered opportunity. To that, we can…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":319442,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-319441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319441","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=319441"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319441\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/319442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}