Blueprint for Leadership is a once-a-year program, started by HandsOn Jacksonville, that trains local residents to become members of Boards of Directors for local non-profit organizations.
"We have many non-profit organizations that do amazing work across the First Coast. Without these organizations our community would be severely diminished," HandsOn Jacksonville CEO Judy Smith said. "But the volunteers who serve on non-profit boards govern those organizations and without good, proper governance things can happen."
The program is comprised of a one-day-a-month workshop for six months (Jan-June) and a year-long internship with a non-profit Board of Directors.
Blueprint for Leadership challenges the group of 24 enrollees to create its own project aimed at helping a local non-profit. This year the program chose to help the PACE Center for Girls.
Because PACE is not part of the county school system, it relies on donations from the community to provide supplies to its approximately 180 girls, ages 12-17.
Blueprint for Leadership's goal is to raise $24,000 for supplies, ranging from microscopes and chemistry sets to posters that illustrate women who've made a difference in the world. The group also will spend June 10 at PACE refurbishing it's eight classrooms.
"We can do this, we can help these girls, but we need everyone in the community to help," Bill Hart, local business owner and member of the Blueprint for Leadership group, said.
For more information on the PACE project or to donate money log onto 2013paceproject.com. Visit handsonjacksonville.org for more information on HandsOn Jacksonville's Blueprint for Leadership.