When Cheryl Townsend was hired as community outreach manager by the Jacksonville Children's Commission in 2007, fundraising was not one of her duties.
But it is now.
Townsend oversees the Jax Kids Book Club, a literacy initiative for 4-year-olds founded by former Mayor John Peyton. Even though the club grew popular locally and became a national model praised by the National League of Cities, city funding for the program has gradually disappeared.
The commission has staffers who seek grants for its early-intervention programs for at-risk children and their families, but not for the club. So Townsend pounded the pavement for donations from corporations, foundations and individuals to sponsor club events or one of the club's package of books, which teach children about Jacksonville's river, library, zoo and Timucuan Preserve, among other things.
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