Cherish God’s Children, a grassroots organization recently formed in Ponte Vedra to support Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, held its second annual fundraising event Dec. 1 at the residence of Alex and Suzanne Trammell located off Palm Valley Road.
Ponte Vedra resident Jayne Doherty, chair of Cherish God’s Children, said 40 people attended the event, which featured numerous vendors from Ponte Vedra as well as a silent auction. She explained that the fundraiser was a multi-generational effort, with help coming from children ranging in age from 6 to teens. Doherty noted that the boys of the Clark family were especially helpful. The fundraiser also received support from donors all over the United States “who have a passion for children,” said Doherty, who was joined by Beverly Norman as co-chair.
Florida Baptist Children’s Homes provides safe, stable, Christian homes and services to children and families in need across the state and globe. The Jacksonville campus located at 2300 Bartram Road has 38 beds for children ranging in ages 5-17 and provides residential care, foster care, adoption services and maternity services.
The Jacksonville campus’ roots derive from the efforts of Solomon J. Highsmith, a member of the Main Street Baptist Church who founded the Jacksonville Baptist Home for Children in 1926. The Baptist Home for Children later joined the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes organization in January 1999. Doherty said it is a Christian home but no longer affiliated with the Baptist Church.
After visiting the Jacksonville campus’ McGowan house in 2015, Doherty realized the organization didn’t have a presence in Ponte Vedra, so she founded Cherish God’s Children, which donates 100 percent of its proceeds to Florida Baptist Children’s Homes. Doherty held the organization’s first fundraiser in 2016.
“Very few people in Ponte Vedra were aware of the fact that we have an orphanage, a campus in Jacksonville,” said Doherty. “I did this not only for the money but for the awareness.”
Visit https://www.fbchomes.org/ for more information on Florida Baptist Children’s Homes.
