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magazine December 2019 ST.JOHNS Holiday Spirit
magazine December 2019 ST.JOHNS Holiday Spirit
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FRANK & BONNIE Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits! Giving the gift of hope this holiday season!
Holiday Issue Wishing you and Your family Peace Joy & Love! Enjoy this issue as we focus on the spirit of Giving! ST.JOHNS magazine
The Spirit of Giving
Frank and Bonnie Dvoravic of Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits are wonderful people. They truly walk the talk with their passion for helping the community through continuous support of PanCan (The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network). Bonnie is a 13 year survivor of pancreatic cancer. After Bonnie’s personal triumph over this devastating disease they decided to take action and make a difference in the lives of others by raising awareness and providing funding for important research. Each year they hold fund raising events in their store and participate in the PanCan run. The holidays are a time of giving and this year Frank and Bonnie will offer exclusive Rivertown Fine Wine & Spirits barrel bourbon, giving a portion of the proceeds to PanCan.
Q: This holiday season Rivertown is continuing to support PANCAN with unique Barrel Bourbons made specifically for Rivertown. Could you tell us a little about these special barrels?
Each barrel was sampled by our staff in a blind tasting of 4 to 5 samples. Once the staff made their selection, the barrel was held in the distiller's warehouse and then bottled & labeled exclusively for RFWS. All the bourbon is bottled from that barrel for us, and we even get the empty barrel! We currently have in stock - Manifest Rye, made here locally in Jacksonville, Widow Jane 12 year old bourbon and 1792 Full Proof Bourbon that was just awarded #1 Whiskey for 2020 by Jim Murray in his latest Whiskey Bible edition. These very special selections sell out quite rapidly because of the limited supply. Coming in the next 90 - 120 days, we have a barrel of Elijah Craig 11 year old bourbon, a barrel of Barrel Bourbon - Barrel Proof and a barrel of Larceny 6 year old. And, there are more throughout 2020 that have not been finalized yet.
Q: How will you help PANCAN through sales of Bourbon?
All of our exclusive RFWS Single Barrel selected bourbons are sold at regular retail price with a small additional donation attached for our charity. These contributions are put to good use by PANCAN in a number of ways - providing much needed awareness of pancreatic cancer, patient & caregiver support and funds for research to help find early detection testing of this terrible disease. We also sell the empty barrels for $300 - $500, for which 100% goes to the charity.
Q: What makes a bourbon special?
Bourbon popularity has been on the rise for the past 7-8 years. There is a new "culture" for mixed cocktails and social media has a lot to do with spreading the word. Bourbon flavor is a matter of personal preference & taste. Supply has not been meeting the demand, so the value of bourbons is increasing and so is the price.
Q: The company you are collaborating with is a local company. Could you tell us a little about them?
Manifest Distilling is located in downtown Jax and bottles vodka, gin and rye whiskey. The barrel of Manifest Rye we have in the store was bottled, sealed, labeled & numbered by Frank and Brian, the store manager at RFWS. It was a great experience for them. The public can take tours of this distillery and learn first hand about distilled spirits from their very knowledgeable staff. It is a unique experience. Be sure to mention that RFWS sent you when you go!
Q: How has Rivertown helped PANCAN in the past?
We have raised $56,000 in four years through our efforts at the store. In addition to our single barrel selections that we offer, we have also acquired rare & hard to find bottles that we sell with an added donation to PANCAN. Our annual Rare Bourbon Auction, which takes place every February, is done by sealed bid auction by item and awarded to the highest bidder. Each bidder is given the opportunity to bid on any of the listed items during the month of February. That bid is sealed in an envelope until March 1, when the envelopes are opened and the winners are announced. This is our 5th year, and will feature 15-25 extremely rare whiskeys.
Q: What are your goals for the future?
This coming year in 2020, our goal will be $25,000 to be raised by October 15th. Our fundraising achievements are culminated at Purple Stride, a 5K/Family friendly walk that is supported nationally by PANCAN in over 25 major cities. Purple Stride-Jacksonville takes place at the end of October each year at UNF. We would like to thank our customers - family, friends and the community for such love & support the last 13 years at RFWS, we could not have accomplished such great success without you. We look forward to a great year in 2020!
The barrel of Manifest Rye we have in the store was bottled, sealed, labeled & numbered by Frank and Brian, the store manager at RFWS. Go to Manifestdistilling.com for details on the tour.
To learn more about PanCan viisit www.pancan.org
Making Lemonade Calendar 2020
Local photographer Mindy Kerr of Nature's Child Photography has a big heart and a creative mind. She came up with an idea to support a group of parents she works with to create an amazine new calendar showing the beautiful humanity of young people and their families fighting cancer. Here is the story:
So you are selling a calendar to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand- What inspired you to do it? I've been volunteering to photograph a group retreat for moms of children with cancer for the past few years. This year, I said to myself, "self? DO SOMETHING TO HELP." So I did.
Who & What does the purchase of the calendar support? Why is it important? (besides the obvious) It supports Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation,a non profit organization that changes lives through impactful research, raising awareness and supporting families to help cure pediatric cancer. (for more information on that group, please visit alexslemonade.org) Why is it important? Well, there are SEVERAL places you can help by donating to (many are listed on my fb page on the kiddo's sneak peeks, AND in the calendar)...I think the main point is HELP. 4% of government aide goes towards childhood cancer, and it's running haywire. They need more. Simple.
Awareness, empathy, human condition? I wanted to show KIDS. Kids being kids, kids sparkling from the inside out. I want people to fall in love with each kiddo the way I have, and say "HEY. I want to help this kid"...and do it.
Can you also tell a little about the Mom's group that you work with? Momcology. EXCELLENT retreat for moms that have lost themselves a little bit in this journey they've had to go on with their children. It offers them a weekend of hope, of "you're not alone in your feelings", and relaxation from the stresses their under EVERY DAY. (for more information on THAT, please visit momcology.org. They also do MUCH more...go take a look!
What are the details about the calendar you would like people to know? Calendars are only $20, plus shipping and tax. All proceeds will go towards Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, and full of some of the most absolutely cutest local childhood cancer warriors around. To purchase a calendar for yourself, please visit www.natureschildpho
tography.com/product-page/charity-calendar.
Mom Kaitlin Flynn offers the details about why research funding is so important. When Mindy came up with the idea to create a Childhood Cancer Calendar, my heart soared! It's been a personal mission to raise awareness after my daughter, Evie's Retinoblastoma Diagnosis. We want our kids to not only survive but thrive after everything they've been through, and right now, that's not happening. Kids in the pediatric cancer community are at risk for Secondary Cancers, Heart Disease, Neuropathy, Hearing loss, Learning Disabilities, the list goes on and on from side effects of the very drugs that helped saved their lives. My daughter had allergic reactions during each of her chemo treatments, her entire body would swell, turn bright read and she'd scream in pain but it was our only option. The current funding rate is 4% for pediatric cancer research and as a community we can come together to raise awareness and change that! It's our job to be the voice for these kiddos. Our children deserve newer and less harsh treatment options, they deserve the world and they are worth #morethan4.
Photo by Jim Moore of Aiko Photo
The Community Nutcracker
Imagine: an elegant party, a battle with rats, and a dance of the Sugar Plum Family. Sound familiar? Now, visualize all of that paired with a service-based organization that supports the Jacksonville area. Sounds like a dream come true, right? You’re in luck, because that dream becomes a reality with the annual performance of The Community Nutcracker Jacksonville. This December 13th and 14th, the dancers of the 28th performance of The Community Nutcracker will take the stage during their public performances at The Florida Theatre. Dancers, volunteers, and audience members in all walks of life will be able to enjoy the magic of the Nutcracker season. The Community Nutcracker is unique as it is the only nonprofit performance of the Nutcracker in the Jacksonville and surrounding areas. Its mission is to give back to the community, using the art of dance as a tool to fund donations to many local organizations. Before the public performances, the particular nighttime performance on December 12th is called “Community Service Night”, and all tickets to see the show are donated. These donations go to retirement homes and representatives from the organizations supported by The Community Nutcracker. Morning shows on the 12th and 13th are school shows, where local schools can purchase tickets at reduced prices to educate students on the art of ballet. Dancers, directors, and supporting people that help run the show are all volunteers, but while they give their time and commitment to the organization, they also gain from the experience. I spoke with a few people involved in the production to find out just how it affects them. Morgan Beyer is the lead in this year’s production, dancing the role of Clara. She is 14 years old and remarks on the magic of performing. She said, “While I’m on stage performing in the Nutcracker, I feel so happy. We work months and months before the show, and you feel like you finally get to bring joy to others. You feel like you’re really giving back to the community.” Morgan is also thrilled that, as Clara, she is beginning to become more involved in the service side of the organization. Kit Rossi is a volunteer who has recently become more involved. When explaining to me why she has chosen to dedicate so much of her time to the organization, she said, “It’s why I like The Community Nutcracker the best. It gives back to the community, so I feel like I am part of something bigger than myself, part of something bigger than my own studio, and I want my daughters to be involved in something like that.” Debbie Rankin is one of the founding artistic directors and choreographers of the production. She has dedicated almost thirty years of her life to the service and art that The Community Nutcracker brings to the Jacksonville community. Since 2005, the Community Nutcracker has sponsored 67 “dreams” of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses through donations to the local nonprofit Dreams Come True of Jacksonville. This could be a trip, new technology, or even a service project that a child has their heart set on. One Dreamer was a young girl named Savannah Goodman. I asked Mrs. Rankin to describe an impactful memory she has experienced with the production, and her response brought us both to the verge of tears. “I think because we are community-based, and we are a nonprofit, one of my most outstanding memories is having Savannah Goodman as Clara. She was a Dream Child, and what we do benefited her. That’s something I’ll never forget.” The Community Nutcracker has touched the hearts of many Jacksonville residents for almost thirty years. The beauty of the dancing, the magic of performing, and the giving nature of this particular production is one that makes the Nutcracker season the most wonderful time of the year. By Mikalya Lindenfeld Morgan Beyer is the lead in this year’s production, dancing the role of Clara
at the FLORIDA THEATRE at the FLORIDA THEATRE
