2014 Spring Newsletter

Spring 2014 • Volume 36
Seamark Ranch
Check out our New Website!
What’s new at
the Boys’ Home
y
Are you
registered?
Mud Run April 26, 2014
BOARD OF DIRECTORS:
Susan Hamilton, Chair
MORE THAN A HOME,
Retired CSX/Consultant
Ryan Schmitt, Vice-Chair
President, Petticoat-Schmitt
Civil Contractors, Inc.
Jeff Bryan
Community Volunteer
Walt Bussells
President, Forbes Street Capital
Billy Catlin, IV
Community Volunteer
John B. Coxwell
Founder, J.B. Coxwell Contracting, Inc.
Brenda Davis
Community Volunteer
Vicki Gillander
Community Volunteer
T.R. Hainline Attorney, Rogers Towers, P.A.
Adam Hollingsworth
Community Volunteer
Ward Huntley
President, South Lubes, Inc.
Elizabeth Hyman
Senior Vice-President, Citi
Aaron Kendrick, III
Senior Director, Finance, Jacksonville
Port Authority
Joyce Mann
Community Volunteer
Will Montoya
WHAT’S NEW? A LOT!
The blessing of God is flowing at Seamark Ranch. It is a special place where children
find a fresh start in life. Each year brings more blessing and new opportunities. At
Seamark Ranch, we are excited in anticipation of the new and wonderful things God
has in store for our children in 2014!
Isaiah 43:19 says, “See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive
it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.” Years ago, back
when there were no roads, no pastures, no barns … only one partially finished home
sitting out in the middle of the woods, I went up on what is now Prayer Hill to spend
time with the Lord. Back then it was just a huge mountain of bright orange clay left
over from excavating a pond. I began thinking about Moses and Joshua and their
experiences with the Hebrews in the wilderness. I was thinking that one day Joshua
probably stood on one side of the Jordan River and said to the people, “Tomorrow we
will cross over this river into the land God has promised to us.” At that moment God
spoke to my heart a clear vision for Seamark Ranch. I could see that God is providing
a Promised Land for our children today. Seamark is a land of hope and opportunity
for children who have wandered in the wilderness of neglect and abandonment. These
children have come out of a heritage much like the slavery of the Hebrew people in
Egypt. Now, at Seamark they live in the blessing of a God. They find hope and great
opportunity for a purposeful life at Seamark Ranch.
Isaiah 43:18 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.” God is replacing
the old negative memories in our children with new positive memories. They have new
experiences in our loving Seamark families, new learning adventures in our Christcentered school and through the equestrian activities and events, and they learn new
skills on the ranch and farm.
Mark A. Morley
As you look through the pages of this newsletter you will find out about the new
people and new things at Seamark. Please consider ways that you can partner with us
in helping our children find a new life. Above all, please keep us in your prayers.
Richard L. Myers, MD
Grateful for your interest and time,
President, Montoya & Associates
President, The Ohmega Group
North Florida OB/GYN Associates
Emily B. Smith
Community Volunteer
James R. Weeks
Clay County Tax Collector
Ken Wilson
President, Gate Lands Company
Allene Zvara
Fred Meiners
Seamark Ranch
Executive Director
Community Volunteer
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Fred Meiners
FOUNDERS:
Keith & April Denton
2
A FAMILY
SEAMARKRANCH.COM IS NEW AND IMPROVED!
The address is still SeamarkRanch.com, but we now have a whole new
look! After 7 years we have replaced our website with an experience that is
fresh, informative and easier to find information. We can also provide more
current information about Seamark Ranch thanks to better integration with
Facebook and other social media. We will continue to enhance the site with
exciting features and information over the next several months – so keep
checking back. And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook as well. Our
thanks to Earned Internet Consulting for all their hard work on our new site.
THE RANCH WELCOMES TWO NEW STAFFERS TO
THE SEAMARK FAMILY!
Meet Renee’ Pleasant and Eugene Coleman. Both bring tremendous
experience and a passion for children to our school and childcare program.
Renee’ joins Seamark as our Director of Education, overseeing the school and our extensive educational program.
Renee’ brings 16 years experience in Education, 7 years as a teacher in Duval and Clay Counties, and 9 years as an
Assistant Principal in Clay County. In her spare time Renee’ loves to read and eat Mexican food!
“I have always had a heart for the unpopular kid, the underdog, the one that’s the hardest to love. Having been ‘that
kid’ as a child, I find it easy to understand and work with children.” Renee’ explains. “On my first visit to Seamark, as
I came around the first curve in the driveway, I knew God was here and I instantly starved to be a part of this place.”
Eugene joins Seamark as our Family Care Coordinator, working with our houseparents and children to strengthen
our families and interface with community services. Gene came to the Seamark Ranch from Greenville SC where he
was the Regional Director of a therapeutic foster care agency. He also worked as an adoption specialist for the State
of South Carolina for 8 years. Gene is a big sports fan, primarily football.
“I enjoy working with children at risk because I like trying to make things right for them.” Gene explains. There are
so many things that have gone wrong in the lives of the children that I have
worked with over the last 15 years. Someone needs to step up and see that
children get what they need. I like that I can be a positive influence on the
Seamark children because, no matter
what happens, no one can ever take
that away from them.”
3
BOYS’ HOME SPOTLIGHT
C
Ethan, age 14, is on the
Green Cove Springs Junior
High tackle football team
and is one of 3 seventh
graders to make the GCJH
basketball team.
A
Darion is 18 years old, has his driver’s
license and will graduate from high school
soon. Darion loves to cook and makes great
eggs and veggie stir fry. His passion is the
Seamark horses, especially Star.
Thirteen year old
Michael plays lacrosse,
loves flag football and
the family’s English
Bulldog, Blossom.
B
E
Stormy, age 8, loves to
run. He trains with Mrs.
Tracy and has run two 5k
races. He completed a 5k
in 28 minutes, running Mrs.
Tracy into the ground!
Favorite dinners at the
Boys’ Home include
jambalaya, Mr. Rich’s
grilled spicy chicken and
Mrs. Tracy’s baked ziti.
D
0
B
Terry is an active 11 year old
who loves riding his bike and
playing sports with the other
boys.
B
Fifteen year old Nick is on
the tennis team at Clay High
School and enjoys running 5K
races and taking his Leopard
Iguana for walks on a leash.
Riley, age 13, plays baseball and loves racing
radio controlled cars.
A
C
Molly, age 16, plays lacrosse for
Fleming Island High School.
4
SEAMARK LIFE
HOW MANY LIGHT BULBS DOES YOUR HOUSE HAVE?
By Rich Dawson, Seamark Boys’ House “Dad”
In my career before becoming a houseparent, my focus has always been on energy efficient
lighting. Did you know there were 178 light bulbs in the Boys’ Home? I figured that
was at least twice as many as needed. Within a few hours of unpacking, I had a note pad
filled with lamp counts, wattage numbers, amp load reduction, and many ideas for energy
efficiency in the Boys’ Home.
After changing out most of the light bulbs and swapping out manual light switches for automated motion sensors, I started showing
the kids how wasteful it is to leave lights on and used a wattage meter to show them how much electricity our favorite electronics
actually use.
The Boys’ House Numbers:
6D
Average daily KWH usage
Average monthly bill 138 $461
Since we began turning off the lights, our electric bills have dropped every month. We saved energy by converting 178 incandescent
lights to either LED or Compact Fluorescent and changing out 75 watt lamps with 13 watt equivalents. We also removed 26
superfluous bulbs from fixtures - the kids never knew the difference. This equated to almost a 13,000 watt reduction. Our highest
monthly savings to date - $290!
WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP THE BOYS’ HOME WITH THEIR MONTHLY ELECTRICAL EXPENSES?
PLEASE USE THE ENCLOSED ENVELOPE FOR YOUR DONATION OF ANY AMOUNT AND MARK YOUR GIFT
FOR BOYS’ HOME UTILITIES. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING.
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!
COLDWELL BANKER VANGUARD REALTY ~ FLEMING ISLAND
We are delighted to welcome Coldwell Banker Vanguard (CBV) Realty ~ Fleming Island to the Seamark Ranch family! Dawn
Welch, a realtor in the Fleming Island office, contacted us last fall to see if they could help with gifts for our children at Christmas.
The children each wrote a letter to Santa and through the help of Santa’s elves at Coldwell Banker Vanguard Realty, 2013 was a
Christmas Seamark families will likely never forget. The generosity of the CBV staff was overwhelming! In addition to gifts for
the children, CBV also provided gifts for each houseparent, school supplies, and household items. There were even a few surprises
for the Ranch pets as well. We are so blessed to have CBV as our newest partner and look forward to a long relationship with
the CBV family.
7
From monetary gifts to presents, gift certificates, gift cards, household goods and pantry items, we would like to thank each
individual, group, organization, church, and business, too numerous to name, that helped make Christmas 2013 one of the best
for Seamark Ranch families and staff.
5
SEAMARK RANCH
HONORS AND MEMORIALS
The following supporters have made contributions to Seamark Ranch in honor or in memory of family, friends and loved ones.
Gifts were received between October 1, 2013 and January 15, 2014. Names are listed alphabetically by the person being honored
or memorialized. We regret any unintentional omission or misspelling of names. Please call our office with omissions so that we
can include them in our next newsletter.
Donations may be made by mail or online at www.seamarkranch.com. Please use the comment field for tribute and recipient
information when donating online. Tribute forms may be printed from our website for mailing or we will gladly take your
information over the phone and mail an acknowledgement card to your recipient. Please call our office at (904) 288-8885 if we
may assist you in this way.
IN HONOR OF:
Jason Adkison Family
Lanny and Mary Ann Adkison
Manson and Sherry Alley
Lawrence and Deborah Kirkwood
Sherry Alley
Richard and Jessica Alley
Laurel Anderson
Terry and Cindy Anderson
Jimmy and Joby Burke
Philip J. Pastore
Connie Chapman
Jim and Jean Farley
Mona and Bland Cologne
Forbes and Anne Grace
Ted and Charlotte Crowe
Walter and Evalyne Eckles
Brenda Davis
Diane Treat
Dorothy Smith
Ben, Diana,Roman and Troy Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Davis
Leonard and Martha Stachitas
Mike and Helen Lundquist
Ellis and Donna Zahra
Jim and Diane Treat
Brandon, Anna and Charlotte Starks
Jed and Jill Davis
Mike and Helen Lundquist
Jacob Denton
Hugh and Regina Mathews
Faculty and Staff of Riverside
Presbyterian Day School
The Administrative Team of
Riverside Presbyterian Day School
Jim Farley
Elaine Farley
Friends at Penney Farms
Shirley Purdy and Friends
Vicki Gillander
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Newell
Hannah Grace’s 2nd Birthday
Carol Schwinne
Harrison Family
Tim Harrison
Adam and Amy Hollingsworth
Mike and Margaret Hollingsworth
Drs. Michelle and Jim Jones
Ruth Thompson
Jim and Margaret Smith
Mr. and Mrs. Larry Kirkwood
Mr. and Mrs. Manson Alley
Jayne Klein
Louis Field
Fred Meiners
Harry and Mary Jane Boudreaux
Katie, Chris and Georgia Messer
Mark and Susan Messer
Judy Nagle and Family
Ben Burnette
Ron Pellum
Clelia Davis
Mr. and Mrs. Scott Register
Mr. and Mrs. David Webb
Brandon and Anna Starks
Skip and Suzanne Schinsing
Brandon, Anna and Charlotte Starks
Lynne Warfield
Gary Thigpen
Gail Fletcher
Abigail Lauren and Benjamin Michael Weiss
Michael and Susan Hall
Rev. and Mrs. Don Wilson
Steve and Terri Cooper
Larry Yaughn
Angela Orr
Bennett and Luke Meiners
Michael and Kara Meiners
6
Annabel and Leslyanne Warrington
Mark and Holly Warrington
David Archer and Susan Meiners
Jeffrey and Vicki Burke
Casey Burke and Alex Ellis
Abbi Gillander and Jason Heckler
Bobbie and Vicki Gillander
Trip and Kristen Gillander
Burke Kearney and Mary Beth Moran
James Kearney
Rob and Pam Kearney
Allene Zvara
Daniel and Joanna Zvara
Mr and Mrs. James Burke
Bill Agricola
Charles Boyd
Tom Braddock
Mr. Steve Broome
Ben Carter
William R. and Barbara Cesery
Mr. Joe Collins
J. Thomas Dodson, Jr.
Deborah Pass Durham
Jim Efstathion
George Egan
Curtis Hart
Mori Hosseini
Matthew E. Kenyon
Steve Leggett
William McArthur
Joseph Shea
Noah M. Silver
A. C. Skinner Family
Mr. Bryant B. Skinner, Jr.
Mr. Charles W. Skinner
Hawley Smith
James and Carolyn Weeks
T.R. Hainline, Rogers Towers, P.A.
HONORS & MEMORIALS
Mr. and Mrs. Carl Edwards
Robert Pitman
Amy Ray, Carrie Shrader and Ozie Gray
Frances Ray
Larry Ray, Nathan and Alex Ray
Laura Ray and Tracey Harting
Nancy C. Ray
Susan Ray and Julie Semones, Laurie
and Simon
Diana Tope
T.R. and Melody Hainline
Chris and Leslie Carrier
Ross and Deedy Carrier
Betty Dreyer
Mike and Margaret Ann Hollingsworth
Cindy and Eric Mills
Ray and Jan Ross
Brian and Lesley Seaton
Donald and Becky Wade
Guy and Gail Zorn
Adam and Amy Hollingsworth
Rev. and Mrs. Carl N. Edwards
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Edwards
Edwards,Annie and Jesse
Mr. Michael Edwards, Maddie and Spencer
Mr. Paul Edwards. Gabrielle Hecht and
Luka Hecht
T. R. and Melody Hainline, Russell,
Molly and Brendan
Dr. and Mrs. Charles Kirby
Mr. Fred R. Pitman
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Pitman
Mr. Robert Pitman
Mrs. Larry Ray, Sr.
Dr. Larry G. Ray Jr., Alex and Nathan
Amy Ray, Carrie Shrader and Ozie Gray
Laura Ray and Tracey Harting
Nancy C. Ray
Dr. Susan Ray, Julie Semones,
Laurie and Simon
Captain and Mrs. Michael Stanton
Keri Tope
Dr. and Mrs. Whitney Tope, Graydon
and Parker
Diana Ray Tope
IN MEMORY OF:
Robert Barnes
Patricia Sanford
Hugh and Norma Carrier
Adam and Amy Hollingsworth
Kenny Elixson
Dan and Mary Horner
Fred and Debbie Meiners
Carolyn H. Garnto
Billy and Teresa Atkins
Mr. and Mrs. Ken Chase
Wayne and Elizabeth Crane
Dennis Haney
Georgia M. Garnto
Carleen and Lance Haney
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Haney
W. E. and Lynda Harbuck
Kirk and Mandi Landau
Fred and Debbie Meiners
Korona McKinney
Robbie Norsworthy
Margie Stanley
Fay Tanner
Neil and Elaine Thames
Mr. and Mrs. John Windle
NEW LOOK AND NEW LOCATION
Rusty Harkins
Daniel and Linda Althouse
Dr. and Mrs. D. W. Althouse
Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Bailey
Taylor Bailey
Denise Harkins
Mr and Mrs. Joe LaMere
Ron and Debbie Limuti
The Slack Family
Claudia Maxwell
David Archer and Susan Meiners
Beth Oakley
Robert and Paula Jenkins
Loved Ones
Beverly L. Jones
John Curtis Page
John and Alma Pruitt
Fred R. Pitman, Sr.
Jane Ray Pitman
Dr. Larry Graydon Ray
Fred Stanton
Diana Ray Tope
Ida Probst and Grace Miller
Mathew and Annmarie Nemeth
Frank Pruitt
Manson and Sherry Alley
Larry G. Ray
T.R. and Melody Hainline
Monti Roberts
Perrie Anne Boone
All donations are used to fund general operations,
unless designated otherwise. Seamark Ranch is a
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
SHOP HOURS:
MONDAY-FRIDAY: 10:30AM-5:30PM
SATURDAY: 10:00AM-6:00PM
Seamark Ranch Upscale Furniture & Décor
2777 University Blvd W. Jacksonville, FL 32217
(Located inside Feather Your Nest)
Our upscale shop is committed to providing homes with stylish furniture and accessories at affordable prices. And the best
of all, the revenue from the shop helps fund the ongoing operating costs of Seamark Ranch. We gratefully accept gently used
furniture donations, and usually pick up the items within the week! Your donation is tax deductible. Please contact Megan
Skinner, Shop Manager, at [email protected] if you have any questions or would like more information. Please follow
us on Facebook to see a sample of the items we currently carry or better yet, drop in and see all of the wonderful items we
have on display.
7
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit 4714
Jacksonville, FL
1 San Jose Place, Suite 31
Jacksonville, FL 32257
T 904.288.8885
F 904.288.8875
E [email protected]
www.seamarkranch.com
The Seamark Ranch mailing list is completely confidential and will never be shared, sold or given to any individual or organization. Suggestions, comments or corrections should be directed to 904.288.8885.
5K mud run on 468 acres,
18 obstacle challenges,
1 mile fun mudder, too!
Race as an individual
or gather your team!
Saturday
April 26, 2014
Register today at:
www.seamarkmudder2014.com
Want to volunteer? Contact [email protected]

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