ORANGE PARK – The Woman’s club will host “Jazz It Up” from 6:30-0 p.m. on Jan. 20 at the Orange Park Woman's Club.

“It’s a fun night of live music from the clay county community jazz band and food from local restaurants. We’re going to do a silent auction to raise money to help fund various projects during 2023,” said the communications liaison for the club, Sandy Keller.

The festive event will feature Head Chefs of Club Continental, The Hilltop, and a dessert bar sponsored by Mackies Munchies New Orleans Style Cooking. After enjoying delicious food and drink, dance the night away with the Clay County Community Jazz Band and additional music by Roger Wood. A silent auction, door prizes, and a cash bar with $5 drink specials will also be available.

Tickets cost $50 a person, and only 150 tickets will be sold. Tickets can be purchased on Eventbrite or the Orange Park Woman’s Club web page.

“We’re trying to get more people to recognize that we are doing things to help the community,” said Keller.

Funds raised by the event will go towards a variety of community service programs throughout the year, such as Quigley House, Orange Park Title 1 elementary schools, Clothes Closet and Food Pantry of Orange Park, youth scholarships, Miriam's Basket, Mercy Support Services, Clarke Park, Wreaths Across America, Orange Park Outfitters, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, Orange Park Community Theater and many more.

“We’ve done so many things. We touch a lot of needs in the community,” said Club President Kay Earhart. “In a lot of ways, were missionaries. We’re trying to help bridge where there is a gap.”

The event will help fund Mercy Support Services and its groundwork initiative to provide low-income housing for the underserved. To learn more about Mercy Villages, see the story on Page 1.

Jazz it Up will be the first big event of its time, Keller said.

“In addition to this, we know how important it is to have entertainment for adults. We thought, how do we make it fun and enjoyable for adults to get out of the house in a safe environment?” she said.

“The community and the Town of Orange Park are aware of the need for entertainment in the area. They have both gone public with that information,” Keller elaborated.

At a recent council meeting, the importance of providing more entertainment, especially for older adults, was discussed. The Clay County Tourism Department is surveying residents with the intent of bringing more entertainment to the county. The survey asks what kind of projects residents would like to see.

“(Town) Council is planning ways to bring more entertainment for adults because there really isn’t anywhere for adults to go after work and have a night out anymore,” she said. “So this is really a good thing. It fills the need in our community.”

The Orange Park Woman’s Club has received significant community support for the charity event.

“It had grown as we’ve started talking about it. It’s just organically grown into something much larger. Once we started getting this out in the community, we’ve had many businesses want to support us further,” Keller said. “As well as volunteers”

If you would like to support the Orange Park Woman’s Club, you can do so by becoming a sponsor, volunteering or becoming a member. Membership in the Orange Park Woman’s Club brings you everything from new friends to exciting social events and personal development opportunities.

“We make great friendships here. We also are a non-profit, charitable organization with the mission to give back to the community. It’s very important to what we do,” said Keller.

Currently, there are more than 80 members.

“And we would love to have more members. We still need a large volunteer force. We need people to want to be a part of helping others. But don’t just join us,” she said. “We want you to join our cause.”

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Orange Park Woman’s Club legacy, you can fill out the form online or contact the Membership Chair, Vicki McComb, at (904) 264-8269 or by email at opwomansclub130@gmail.com.