09-08-22 Special CARAC Meeting Adopted MinutesMINUTES
Special Meeting of the Cultural Arts and
Recreation Advisory Committee (CARAQ
� Meeting
ION ar Thursday, September S, 2022 - 12:00 AM
Commission Chamber
Present: An Oskarsson, CARAC Chair
Jane Stevens, Member
Lisa Goodrich, Member
Mateo Jurasic, Member
Mary Mullahey, Member
Joseph Schwarz, Member
Wally Sears, Alternate Member
Absent:
Carol Silcox, Member
Also Present: Latrenia Thomas, Director of Cultural Arts and Recreation
1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL
A. Meeting was called to order by An Oskarsson at 9:13 a.m.
2. OPENING REMARKS
A. We have new applicants so An explained how the day would go. Hoping that
members were able to score and review today's presenters. Will hear from each of
the applicants and then the members can revise the score and turn it into staff at
the end of the meeting. This will be the same Tuesday, for the other six
presentations. After the final presentations, it will be decided whether we will fully
fund, partially fund, or not fund each of the applications. It will be written on the
score sheet and staff will tally that up on Tuesday after the conclusion of the final
presentation meeting. At 6 p.m., we will have our regular committee meeting and
we will then discuss how voters were made and make a final recommendation.
For the presentations today, An asked that it be limited to 10 minutes, reserving
some time for Q&A. Please highlight and explain what a participant experience is
in your program and if you're a repeat application, we'd like to hear how things
went last year. We have a new recommendation, that if you are a repeat applicant,
to consider for next year, working with staff and becoming a City program instead
of going through this process and asking for a grant every year.
3. GRANT PRESENTATIONS
A. 9:35 a.m. - FACE4kids (Kirk Farber)
Fitness and Character Education, Inc.: a youth leadership organization. FACE4Kids
motivates elementary youth to build fitness, self-esteem, and character before it's too
late. In 1997, participated in an intervention program for incarcerated juveniles in Duval
Special Meeting of the Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee (CARAQ
September S, 2022
Page 1 of 5
County Jail and saw firsthand how they had to accept the consequences of their actions.
I wanted to make a difference and realized I had to catch them earlier rather than later to
share character values with a focus on respect and leadership.
Benefits from strategic partnerships, offering an 8 -week program free during the school
day throughout the year.
The program is a combination of martial arts, agility training, jump rope, juggling, and
public speaking.
Implemented in over 50 different public school locations in Duval County since 2004.
Expanded into Pennsylvania in 2012.
Each school/location is held accountable with pre & post surveys data -metrics in 5
categories: fitness, confidence, school effort, social skills, and behavior choices.
Met Sholanda at the Gail Baker Community Center and will be starting the program in
September on Mondays at 4 p.m. for 8 weeks.
Also spoke with Kim Gallagher, the principal at ABE, and will be starting that program
at 1:30 p.m. on Mondays starting this month.
B. 9:15 a.m. - Brush Up! Canvas Painting Class (Crystal Rodriguez)
Requesting grant funding for a visual arts space program in Atlantic Beach called
Brushes Up! Canvas Painting Class.
Background in Community Art Education for 17 years. Started in City Kids Art Factory
in 2005, and then taught art in YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, Duval Public Schools, and
Youth Crisis Center etc.
Canvas classes range from small children to adults.
Did a virtual art program through the pandemic.
Why should this program be in the community centers?
Vision: course will last for 12 months and will alternate between the Gail Baker and
Jordan Community Centers.
Goal: reach at least 20-25 AB residents every month at each center
Provide inspiring art programming for youth centered around canvas classes and family
craft nights which will be themed. The program will also be free for attendees and
families.
Cater specific to teens just as a target focused to provide high quality art instruction that's
consistent, that they will look forward to, that they can even invite their families on a
monthly basis. I can see art and service as a social & emotional therapy tool.
Provided a list of themes for the paint nights geared toward the demographics that are
being served. Like to have students showcase their artwork at the end of the program and
invite the community out to root residents in their community and help the children take
pride in their art.
Measured with quality surveys after each session to better serve the demographics.
Q&A:
• will promote through the community centers and social media
• will develop skills in drawing and painting
C. 9:55 a.m. - NOVA Dance and Wellness Academy Inc. (Aubrey Benthem)
Provide high quality dance and wellness training — yoga, functional health classes,
nutrition coaching.
Special Meeting of the Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee (CARAQ
September 8, 2022
Page 2 of 5
Approach is to cultivate athleticism and artistry specifically with children
Good practices for children & dance development
ABT (American Ballet Theater) curriculum, have a close relationship and work with the
Florida Ballet, most of our instructors are Florida Ballet Company dancers, high caliber
staff to pour into students
Believe that high caliber education shouldn't only be accessible to people who can afford
it. We want to make that accessible to students that wouldn't normally have access to it.
Meet kids where they are at — so adults and kids can pursue wellness together.
Mission: bring a unique, high caliber, and accessive form of wellness and movement to
the Atlantic Beach community.
Target audience in kids and seniors.
Classes that are offered that would work well in the community centers are: Kids hip
hop, teen hip hop, primary ballet, mama yoga, prenatal yoga, chair yoga
Flexible in class schedules and locations. Looking at Baker and Jordan Community
Centers.
Have spoken with Baker and Jordan staff, but haven't set up a schedule yet.
Asked to focus on hip hop classes and chair yoga to start because seniors and teens have
been identified as a big gap.
Will be able to adjust scheduling and can supplement the chair yoga and update the
financial.
D. 10:15 a.m. - Connecting Thru Music ( Karen Demuth)
4th year with this grant.
Provide music therapy and music enrichment. Main purpose is to bring music therapy to
NE FL for children with special needs. Music therapy is a use of music to reach non-
musical goals — social, emotional, physical, cognitive, learning goals.
Asking for funding for this program at Neptune Beach Elementary, which has 12
classrooms for children with moderate to severe handicap. It serves the beaches. 33% of
their students are AB residents.
In 2016, asked to start a music program at NBE, but they didn't have the funding.
Funding started in presenters backyard and just doing music enrichment. Demuth's
background is nursing, healthcare.
In St. Johns County, Minda Gordon started the public school music therapy program.
Met with her and started with another company in 2019 and the children in NB thus far,
receive 2 30 -minute sessions a week of music therapy and one session of music. All
music therapists are board certified.
Have seen great results, positive data, the teachers are very involved and very engaged.
It costs us a little under $5000 a year to provide this to the students.
In 4th year of $160,000 grant from Kids Hope Alliance, but that's only for afterschool
and camps. That's great, but where it's really effective is in school. The music therapists
work on things like paying attention, sharing, and verbalization. We're building a
foundation for learning.
Looking into also adding the program at Landmark Middle School.
Looking for sponsorships per classroom. Have a business plan together to get
sponsorships per child and per classroom.
E. 10:35 a.m. - Beaches Fine Arts Series (Kathy Wallis)
Special Meeting of the Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee (CARAQ
September S, 2022
Page 3 of 5
Most funding has been towards education outreach programming.
Celebrating 50th anniversary of providing free concerts and educational outreach for the
community. Follows mission to enrich our communities by sharing the transforming
power of music and art free to all.
This year's concert series is going to present favorite world class artists from the past.
The visual artists this year will be new to the series so we will have new and old
combined.
Tracy Morris - The Educational Outreach focuses on schools — visited ABE with FL
string quartet and 120 kids were able to enjoy. We also provide busing to any of the
schools who want to visit the facility. Working with ABE music teacher to ensure the
students are exposed to these opportunities.
This year expanding outreach opportunities by bringing in "I Have a Song Inside My
Heart" program whose organizers have performed at Lincoln Center. Hoping to serve
about 550 students with that program.
Programs are available to all schools. It's up to the administrators of the schools to take
advantage of these opportunities.
F. 10:55 a.m. - Yesha Taekwondo (Chuck Coker)
Celebrating 40 years' service to communities.
Intended to help people that were not able to afford Olympic and family training.
Buck is the head trainer and read one testimony from a parent.
Committee questioned the time frame and location to try and get it more AB centered
participants — other than the location. Try to integrate it with the afterschool program.
G. 11:15 a.m. - Fletcher High School ( Randy Salinas)
Due to funding from the previous year, were able to hold a lot of events and expand their
group that they wouldn't have been able to otherwise. Also set up the groundwork for
what is being planned for the coming years.
Last year's grant focused on supporting the band program as a whole — expanding and
recruiting more people involved in band and color guard. Focused on elementary and
middle school color guard students and were able to hold a clinic over the summer — 46
students in grades 4-8 — % were from AB. Were also able to recruit at Mayport and
Fletcher Middle School and as a result, the rookie class for the Fletcher High School
band this year is 3x what it was in the past. 15 seniors graduated last year and have 37
new members this year from the beaches area.
There are new needs this year. Some of the same from previously — like the consumable
items (reeds, oil, etc.) To help support the rest of the funds for the band, have fundraising
opportunities. Need some new instruments, like trumpets.
Goal is to start helping out and grow the afterschool programs at the elementary school
level — San Pablo, Anchor, and Atlantic Beach Elementary. Starting individual guard
programs so that when they go into Middle School, they are ready to continue that
education with the staff that Fletcher High provides at the middle school level. The
students have something to look forward to as an extracurricular activity.
4. RECOGNITION OF VISITORS
An announced to recognize the visitors.
Special Meeting of the Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee (CARAQ
September 8, 2022
Page 4 of 5
31
Attest:
OTHER AGENDA ITEMS/ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Commitee discussed their thoughts on moving grant organizations / schools under the scope
of the Recreations budget.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, Chair An Oskarsson adjourned the meeting at 12:00 p.m.
An Oskarsson, Chair
W, 4iT�i��s.
•
Special Meeting of the Cultural Arts and Recreation Advisory Committee (CARAC)
September 8, 2022
Page 5 of 5