904 Live featuring local artists Saturday at OP Mall
ORANGE PARK – The 904 LIVE festival is returning to Orange Park Mall on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 4-8 p.m.
Families and friends are invited to join the event that celebrates and showcases local 904 talent, food trucks and craft makers. With performances by Mandalla and Dustin Monk & The Hustle, a beer and wine tent, an array of food trucks and vendors, kid zone, and a crowd favorite- Trunk-Or-Treat, brought to you by MOBB Jeep Girlz, there’s something for everyone. Admission into the event is free. Dustin Monk and The Hustle is a southern soul band from Jacksonville.

Reinhold Foundation taking applications for nonprofit leadership training programs
FLEMING ISLAND – The Paul E. and Klare N. Reinhold Foundation, Inc. is accepting applications for its 2022 Nonprofit Leadership Development and Capacity Building Training Programs. Through this initiative, the Foundation focuses on strengthening the nonprofit sector by strengthening the leadership of nonprofit organizations that serve Clay County. Any 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides services to Clay County residents is eligible to apply.
Applications for the 2022 programs include workshops on nonprofit management, fundraising fundamentals, planned giving, marketing and communications, donor relations, and strategic planning. The programs are taught by Rollins College Edyth Bush Institute for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership. All classes are held in Clay County and are scheduled from January through March. There is no cost for those organizations selected to attend. The Reinhold Foundation underwrites all costs. In addition, the Foundation will provide cash graduation awards to eligible organizations completing training programs.
Since 2006, the Reinhold Foundation has provided free leadership training programs to board members, staff, and volunteers of nonprofit groups that provide services to Clay County residents. Individuals from more than 100 nonprofit organizations that work to improve the quality of life for Clay County residents have participated in the leadership initiative.
All 501(c)(3) nonprofit groups providing services to Clay County residents are eligible to apply. Details and applications are available now at www.reinhold.net. The application deadline is Wednesday, Nov. 17. For more information, contact Amy Parker, Executive Director (904) 269-5857 ext. 404 or visit aparker@reinhold.net.

Putt for PAWS coming to Eagle Harbor on Nov. 5
FLEMING ISLAND – the annual SAFE Animal Shelter’s Putt for PAWS golf tournament is set for a shotgun start at 1 p.m. at the Eagle Habor Golf Club.
Check-in at 2217 Eagle Harbor Pkwy. starts at 11:30 a.m. In addition to an 18-hole tournament, there will be contests, raffles, prizes and tee gifts.
Proceeds go toward helping lost animals find forever homes through adoptions. SAFE Animal Shelter is a nonprofit organization working to reduce the number of cats and dogs euthanized in Clay County, Duval County, Northeast Florida and the surrounding areas.
Safe Animal Shelter became Clay County’s first no-kill shelter in 1991 to provide housing for more homeless pets in the community until they could find a forever home.
All services we provide the community are funded by individual and business donations, grants from charitable foundations, pet adoption fees, and fund-raising activities held throughout each year.

Drs. Abdoly, Benitz join First Coast Heart & Vascular Center

FLEMING ISLAND – First Coast Heart & Vascular Center, a comprehensive cardiology practice serving Northeast Florida, announced the addition of two cardiologists to its growing clinical team: Amir Abdoly, DO, and Edilberto Benitez, MD. Abdoly and Benitez bring advanced expertise and a commitment to patient education and improving cardiovascular disease outcomes, and will work to expand access to expert cardiac care for residents of Fleming Island.
Abdoly, the newest member of the Interventional Cardiology section at First Coast Heart, is an interventional cardiologist with a focus on the diagnosis and treatment of coronary and peripheral vascular disease. Abdoly received his medical degree from the Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his clinical training in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Diseases at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, where he served as Chief Fellow. He later completed his Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at the Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences.
Benitez is a board-certified cardiologist and cardiac electrophysiologist with expertise in noninvasive and invasive diagnostic and therapeutic services related to the diagnosis and management of cardiac rhythm disorders, including consultative cardiac electrophysiology, pacemaker and defibrillator implantation, and radiofrequency ablation and cryoablation procedures. Dr. Benitez received his medical degree from Florida International University. He trained in internal medicine at Cleveland Clinic in Weston. He then completed a Cardiology Fellowship at the University of Florida in Jacksonville and a sub-specialty Fellowship in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology at the University of Florida.
Abdoly will be practicing at First Coast Heart’s Fleming Island office, and Dr. Benitez will see patients primarily at the practice’s University Boulevard and Fleming Island offices.
Their addition to the First Coast Heart team demonstrates First Coast Heart’s ongoing commitment to improving access to high-quality cardiovascular disease care services in Northeast Florida.
“We are delighted to have Dr. Abdoly and Dr. Benitez join our team at First Coast Heart & Vascular Center, as we strive to provide contemporary, evidence-based and compassionate care to more patients across the First Coast,” said James Needham, CEO of First Coast Heart & Vascular Center. “Both doctors bring not only clinical expertise but also a passion for patient care and for building vital personal relationships to improve patients’ health and well-being.”

‘I Voted’ sticker contest offered to county high school students

CLAY COUNTY – To strengthen the sense of community among our local voters, and inject a bit of fun in the process, the Supervisor of Elections Office is hosting a student art contest to design a new “I VOTED” sticker for the 2022 Election Season.
Do you live in Clay County? Do you like to draw, or are you an aspiring graphic designer? Then this contest is for you! We’re accepting both hand-drawn and digital submissions. Now through Friday, Dec. 3, submit your artwork to the Elections Office by mail, by email, or in person at our office, located at 500 N. Orange Ave in Green Cove Springs. This contest is open to all Clay County students in grades 9-through-12.
To read more about how to enter and art requirements, please visit ClayElections.gov The “I Voted” sticker has become an icon of the voting process and a symbol of pride among voters. This small piece of art will help encourage voters, new and old, to share their civic pride- and to spread the word to get out and vote.
For questions or information, visit ClayElections.gov or call our office at (904) 269-6350. This and all press releases can be found at www.ClayElection.

Nikki Fried featured speaker at Clay Democrats fall fundraiser

ORANGE PARK – The Clay County Democrats announce a Fall Fundraiser dinner and auction featuring guest speaker Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Nikki Fried. Fried, Florida’s only statewide elected Democrat, is also a candidate for Governor in the 2022 gubernatorial election.
The dinner’s theme is “Turn Clay County Blue in 2022,” and will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at the Orange Park Woman’s Club located at 130 Kingsley Ave.
Tickets are $50 each and include a catered buffet dinner, silent auction and cake auction. Sponsors for the dinner are being sought at various donation levels, with complimentary tickets and recognition at the event provided.
Proceeds from the fundraiser will enable the Clay County Democratic Party to sustain its ongoing mission to support Democrats at the local level; grow its voter base; engage in voter registration, canvassing, voter calls, postcards and other outreach; and support Democratic candidates. Fried is expected to discuss her positions on the economy, environment, immigration, gun rights, recent attacks on abortion rights, and more.
Tickets can be purchased online only at: https://www.claycountyfldems.com/2021_kickoff_tickets and information on Sponsorships can be found at: https://www.claycountyfldems.com/kickoff_sponsorship.
Please note COVID-19 protocols will be in place at the event. All attendees are asked to be vaccinated and masks will be required.
For more information, contact Jackie Cetnar, Chair, at claycountydp@gmail.com or via Facebook at www.facebook.com/claycountyfldems.