Families

Playing hero to a daughter … if only briefly

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011, 1:55pm

A hero for five minutes. But what a five minutes it was. All thanks to Elmer the Elephant. Or I should say finding Elmer. Which I did. And which made me a hero. Even if for only five short ones.

I’ll take it.

It had been bedlam that morning. Mother and child hurrying about the house, trying to find something. Heck if I knew what. All I knew is it looked like there had been an avalanche of stuffed animals in my daughter’s closet, and there may or may not have been one of my family members trapped below them.

“Is anybody under there?” I called. “Should I go get a shovel?”

I was relieved to see my wife calling from the other room to my daughter — they were late for summer camp. The little girl walked up to me, calm as can be, and asked in her little girl voice, “Dad, do you know where Elmer is?”

Elmer? Who the heck is Elmer?

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Submitted by Rachel Leitao, First Coast News Staff

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011, 6:46am

School-aged children and their families are invited to the free Back2School Beach fest on Saturday, August 20th, on St. Augustine Beach and at the St. Augustine Amphitheatre. The family-friendly community event will promote clean beaches, healthy lifestyles and a fun day at the beach before kids head back to school.

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Submitted by FirstCoastNews Web Staff

Thursday, July 21st, 2011, 9:05pm

Fire Rescue Crews Move into Station 15 in St. Johns County

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. -- The fire station that has been sitting unoccupied is now operational.

Fire Station 15 is now ready to provide coverage to areas in north-central St. Johns County including Kensington, Walden Chase, Las Calinas, Pine Island and Nease High School along the U.S. 1 corridor.

According to St. Johns County Fire Rescue spokesman Jeremy Robshaw, the additional station will allow relief for areas such as the World Golf Village, County Road 210, Nocatee and Palm Valley since surrounding fire stations won't have to range as far out of their zones.

A SAFER Grant -- Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response -- from the Department of Homeland Security is providing the money to staff the station, 12 firefighters whose shifts will keep the station operating 24/7 for two years.

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Submitted by Katie Seay, Communications Director, American Heart Association

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011, 1:54pm

American Heart Association-First Coast Market Names Local Executive to Lead Go Red For Women Mission

The American Heart Association-First Coast Market has named local business and community leader Joyce Kramzer as the chair for the 2011- 2012 Go Red For Women (GRFW) Mission.

Joyce Kramzer is Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida’s (BCBSF) Senior Vice President, Health Business Operations. In this role, Kramzer has primary accountability for the business strategies and operations of delivery system, service, senior markets, and IT. In her dual role as the GRFW chair and AHA-First Coast Market Board of Directors Chair, Kramzer brings excellent businesses acumen and a sense of social responsibility.

The following will strategically support Kramzer in furthering the GRFW mission of educating women of their unique and clearly defined risks of cardiovascular disease and stroke:

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Get Your Closets Clean and Make Some Green

Submitted by Shana Sumner on Tuesday, July 12th, 6:12 pm

Times are hard economically, and families all over the nation are struggling. Jacksonville ranks 9th in the nation’s worst job markets. Families need to save money.

Jax KIDSignment is a seasonal consignment sale where you can sell your outgrown toys and clothing for a profit. This is a great way to make additional income during hard economic times. It happens in three easy steps: 1. Clean out your closets, 2. Use our software system to tag your items, 3. Bring your items to the Fairgrounds on August 5th.

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Submitted by Lewis Turner, Reporter, Meteorologist FCN

Sunday, July 10th, 2011, 9:03am

St. Augustine Family Camps Out in Car to See Atlantis Launch

COCOA BEACH, Fla. -- It took Freedom Davis and her family two hours to get to Cocoa Beach from their St. Augustine home.

Three adults and three children all packed into the family truck.

They beat traffic by leaving around 1 a.m., then arrived at the perfect spot for viewing Atlantis lift off at 3 a.m. They spent the rest of the night sleeping in the truck.

"Yeah, we're tired, but we had to do it," Davis said, before the launch from her spot on the beach.

With hotels either full or too expensive, there were hundreds of cars and trucks filling the shoulders overnight, where people chose to snooze.

"It's the last launch, we had to bring the kids here to witness history," she said.

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Submitted by Rachel Leitao, First Coast News Staff

Friday, July 8th, 2011, 4:25am

Back-to-School Sales Show Up Extra Early at Some Retailers

Back to school already?

Some anxious retailers are jumping the gun to get shoppers' attention extra early. With good reason: Last year consumers spent more than $55 billion on back-to-school shopping, the National Retail Federation says. Many retailers are still nervous about consumer spending in a topsy-turvy economy.

That's one reason why Toys R Us' "Pack to School" sale on backpacks and lunchboxes started as early as July 1 in some parts of the country.

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