Things to Do and Live Music

Things To Do...

In Town/Online

MIND & BODY SKILLS CLASS Learn self-care strategies, develop effective coping skills, improve mood, reduce stress, and increase self-awareness during this 10-week course. Call Heather Rosenberg at (904) 213-2700 to register. 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Mondays, April 5-June 14, VA Video Connect, free for Veterans.

10TH ANNUAL ST. MARYS PLEIN AIRE

PAINT OUT Head to downtown St. Marys to set up your easel and paint. Afterward, bring your piece to CCAL for judging. Call to pre-register or sign up 8-9 a.m. on the day of. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 10, Coastal Camden Art League, 2006 Osborne Rd., St. Marys, Facebook.com/CCALGA, (912) 467-3019, $25/$35.

STEPS FOR HEALING & PROGRESS

Our Sister’s Keeper Movement holds a candlelit vigil in remembrance of Vanessa Guillen and in observance of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 8-9 p.m. Saturday, April 24, Memorial Park, 1620 Riverside Ave., Riverside, Facebook.com/OurSistersKeeperMovement, free.

LEEPERZ JEEPERZ Bring the whole family for this scenic 50-mile jeep ride benefitting NSCO charities. Arrive with a full tank of gas and bring cash for food trucks, raffles, and more. 10 a.m. Saturday, April 10, Northeast Florida Fair Association, 543378 U.S. Hwy. 1, Callahan, EightFlagsJeep.com/Leeperz-Jeeperz, $25.

ASHCHI HEART & VASCULAR CENTER

CAR SHOW Attendees can get a free health screening, admire antique and classic cars, enjoy food from local vendors, and participate in raffles at this car show benefiting the Wounded Warrior Project. 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 17, Ashchi Heart & Vascular Center, 3900 University Blvd. S., Englewood, Facebook.com/AshchiHeartandVascularCenter, $25 car entry fee, free to attend.

Transition/Career/Education

USO.org/Events/917-Transition-Talk-Get-To-KnowSkillbridge, free. RE-CON FOR HEROES Learn more about the VA Home Loan and Commercial process during this virtual and in-person event. This is the first in a series of homeownership, commercial property, foreclosure law, real estate investing, and more. 3-6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 8, Jacksonville Veterans Chamber of Commerce, 10407 Centurion Pkwy. N., Ste. 210, Deerwood, Facebook.com/JaxVCC, free.

VIRTUAL CAREER FAIR FOR VETERANS

Area Veterans and their spouses are invited to meet with local, national and international employers at this virtual career fair. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday, April 15, RecruitMilitary.CareerEco.com, free.

On Base

EGG-SPRESS EASTER PARADE Mayport’s MilKids are invited to join the egg hunt for treatfilled eggs. Be on the lookout for golden ticket eggs, which feature special surprises. 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 3, Jetties Pavilion, 245 Baltimore St., NS Mayport, NavyMWRMayport.com, free. MAYPORT TENNIS OPEN Players 18+ are invited to showcase their skills during this elimination competition. Registration required. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, April 12-16, Tennis Complex next to the CPO Club, NS Mayport, NavyMWRMayport.com/Tennis, free. SEA TURTLE PATROL Naval Station Mayport needs volunteers to help during nesting season. Must be 18+ or have a parent accompany you, walk two miles in the sand two days each month, and commit to the 2021 season. Email Heather.Hahn@Navy.Mil if interested. April 15-Oct. 31, NS Mayport, Facebook.com/NSMayport, free. EARTH DAY HIKE & CLEAN-UP What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with a short hike to keep Mother Nature clean? Bring work gloves, water, snacks, and dress for the occasion. Stay afterward for a family-friendly nature activity. 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 24, Etowah Park, NSB Kings Bay, NavyMWRKingsBay.com, free. NAS JAX COMIC-CON Bring your MilKids to see their favorite comic book characters brought to life in celebration of Month of the Military Child. Enjoy goodie bags, a photographer (wear your costume!), and a DJ. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, April 24, Dewey’s Parking Lot, Gillis Street, Bldg. 608, NAS Jax, NavyMWRJacksonville.com, free.

TRIDENT REFIT FACILITY, KINGS BAY

APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM Become a member of an exclusive team and part of the front line of national defense. Have your resume ready and complete your ACUUPLACER exam prior to applying. Contact Sara Bennett at (912) 573-3097 or Sara.Bennett@Navy.Mil with questions. Application period is Monday-Sunday, April 5-11, Facebook.com/TRIREFFAC.

TRANSITION TALK: SKILLBRIDGE USO Transitions, Onward to Opportunity, and Fleet & Family Services host this virtual workshop to share more about the DoD SkillBridge Program and other training and certification programs available to active-duty Servicemembers, Veterans/retirees, and military spouses. Noon Thursday, April 8,

Veterans and Their Families

RIDE INTO 2021 POOL TOURNAMENT Enter to win a 2006 Honda VTX1300 motorcycle while supporting Hope4Veterans during this charity pool tournament and raffle. 2-8 p.m. Saturday & Sunday, April 3 & 4, 9 Ball Heaven Sports Grill, 2777 University Blvd. W., Ste. 14, Lakewood, Hope4Veterans.org, $35. ANNUAL RETIREE SEMINAR This Facebook Live event features presentations from Naval Hospital Jax, Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society, Jacksonville National Cemetery, financial advisors, and more. Post questions to the discussion tab, prior to the event. 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, April 10, Facebook.com/NASJacksonville, free.

CLAY

THRASHER-HORNE CENTER, 283 College Dr.

Johnny Cash tribute April 3; “One Night in Memphis” tribute to Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash April 11 WHITEY’S FISH CAMP, 2032 C.R. 220 Boogie Freaks April 3; Lisa & the Mad Hatters April 9; Monkey Wrench April 10; Blistur April 16; Big Engine April 17; Yowsah April 24; Jimi Graves April 29; John Taylor Band April 30

DUVAL

BLUE JAY LISTENING ROOM, 2457 S. Third St.

Lyn Avenue April 3; Mighty Blur featuring Melody Trucks, Bobby Lee Rodgers April 15; Bay Kings Band April 19; Nicholas Edward Williams April 24; Kristopher James April 30

FLORIDA THEATRE, 128 E. Forsyth St.

The Eagles Tribute April 17

JERRY’S GRILLE, 13170-22 Atlantic Blvd.

Sutton Duo April 2; Sea Level April 9; The Invasion Trio April 16; Str8 Up April 23; Double Down Band April 30

RIVERFRONT PLAZA, 2 W. Independent Dr.

Chase Rice, Firewater Tent Revival April 8; New Found Glory, Universal Green April 15; Quad City DJ’s, LPT April 22; Sugar Ray, Honey Hounds April 29 VU CRAFT BREWERY, 8999 Western Way, Ste. 104 Jason Taylor April 2; The Bald Eagles April 9; Jim Murdock April 23; Mike Lyons April 30

NASSAU

GREEN TURTLE TAVERN, 14 S. Third St. City Lights April 10; Randy McQuay April 22 The PALACE SALOON, 117 Centre St. Houston Keen April 1; Soundwavez April 2; Randy McQuay April 21 SADLER RANCH, 869 Sadler Rd., Ste. 2 Lenny Cooper April 9; Adam Calhoun April 16; Demun Jones April 23 The SURF, 3199 S. Fletcher Ave. Casey Mitchell April 1; Davis Turner April 2; Whiskey Heart April 3; Colby Ward April 15; John Waters Trio April 16; The Last Waltz April 17; Rob Peck Duo April 24; Early McCall Duo April 29

ST. JOHNS

The AMP, 1340C A1A S. Tab Benoit & Samantha Fish April 10; Robert Earl Keen April 11; Grace Potter April 23 The CELLAR UPSTAIRS, 157 King St. Ian Kelly April 1; Wes Register, Paper City Hustlers April 2; Jolie, Clairemont Duo April 9; Gary Douglas Campbell, Pili Pili Duo April 10; Gary Douglas Campbell, Tony & Alex April 16; T.J. Brown, Carpetbaggers April 17; Rob Peck, Atlantic Alabi April 24 PV CONCERT HALL, 1050 A1A N. ZOSO April 10; Graham Nash April 13 & 14; Dave Mason April 21; Tower of Power April 28 PROHIBITION KITCHEN, 119 Saint George St. The Raisin Cake Orchestra April 3; Shine & the Shakers April 9; Chillula April 16; Firewater Tent Revival April 17; The Swell Acoustics April 23; Alberto Cebollero April 26

Liberty Feature

OWN YOUR MILITARY TRANSITION A Marine shares his story of starting early

By Joe Snowberger

0utside of U.S. Marine Corps Major Josh Ambrose’s office on Blount Island Command is a typical cubicle wall. Behind it are a number of workspaces with Marines doing the logistical work of coordinating the prepositioning of equipment and supplies needed across the globe to support Marine Corps training, operations, and, when necessary, warfare. Plastered across that cubicle wall are numerous flyers for job fairs, networking events, and military transition workshops that Ambrose encourages his Marines to participate in. Ambrose strongly advocates that, as a Servicemember, you should “own your transition.” “Start your transition at least two years out. It does not matter if you move on to the corporate world or if you open up your own business. Someday you will be replaced and no longer be in the Marine Corps (or another branch of service). Begin the planning and networking early on,” laments Ambrose. Ambrose leads by example. While still serving in a demanding role as the company commander and planning his retirement from nearly 24 years of active duty as a prior-enlisted Marine Corps officer, the major—along with his family—are already operating a residential and commercial mosquito and tick pest control franchise. “This truly is a family business,” Ambrose said. “My wife co-runs the business. My father is my lead tech. My nephews come down from South Carolina to help hang door hangers. My mother watches our 8-month-old while we work.” The requirements of serving on active duty and simultaneously starting a business can be both mentally and physically strenuous. “It is demanding, but the challenges are worth it, and I will reap the benefits in the future,” Ambrose said. “Essentially, I work from 6 a.m. to at least 10:30 p.m. each night, even on the weekends.” The idea for a franchise came from a friend as they were, of course, discussing military transition. “He talked to me about franchising and using a franchise consultant,” Ambrose said. “From there all I had to do was keep my ears open and not close any doors on my own accord.” “Franchises are fond of Veterans because military members know how to follow a business model, are tenacious and persistent, and both expect and achieve results.” Ambrose recommends reaching out to a franchise consultant and listening to what they have to say. “Knowledge is power and making false assumptions about becoming a business owner or franchising is a foolish mistake,” Ambrose said. “I learned that being a business owner is not just for those who come from wealthy families, which was my naïve assumption.” Staying true to his own advice at owning one’s transition, Ambrose also investigated the more common job-seeking and corporate employment career path for his post-military service life. In the end, he didn’t choose starting a business over getting a job, he did both. In addition to franchising, Major Ambrose has been selected to a prestigious executive management program with a pro-military, Fortune 100 company after his retirement from active duty. Ambrose intends to continue his full-press schedule.

“I will run [the family business] semi-passively, leveraging my wife to do the majority of the managerial oversight and my father serving as my lead technician. I could not do this without them, and I am truly grateful to have them,” Ambrose said. Owning one’s transition from military service is an advocacy Ambrose practices every day. He routinely participates in transition activities across The Liberty Coast and has become a transition subject matter expert. “The best advice I would give is to not close any doors on opportunities yourself,” Ambrose said. “I have no experience owning a business, but I have experience in operations, analytics, and managing human resources. I have an undergrad in Business Management and Finance and an MBA in Logistics Management, but those helped little compared to how much more my time in the Marine Corps prepared me for this venture.” Ambrose is usually a composed and even-toned military leader but becomes a passionate advocate when discussing post-military career planning and military transition preparation. Below are key points he feels strongly about instilling in Servicemembers:

• Start your transition at least two years out. Let that sink in for a second. It does not matter if you move on to the corporate world or if you open up your own business. This means to begin the planning and networking early on. Own your transition and do not let your ill-advised peers and leaders second guess your efforts to prepare for transition or question your loyalty to the service branch. When the time comes for them to transition, I guarantee they will think differently! • Leverage LinkedIn two years out. Don’t wait until months before starting the transition processing. At some point [you will not be in the military]; be prepared for that day. • Get as much education as you can now utilizing tuition assistance so that you can transfer any benefits to your family, if applicable. Consider it a financial investment. • Lastly, when you depart the military, your family will be what is left. Do not neglect them and expect them to be standing by your side when the time comes to transition.

IN SUPPORT OF TRANSITIONING MILITARY STUDENTS: The Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children

By Bob Buehn, Florida Commissioner to the Interstate Compact

Active-duty military families with children in public K-12 schools should know about the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunities for Military Children. It represents an effort by all 50 states and the District of Columbia to commit to legislation that seeks to prevent military kids from being disadvantaged when they move with their military parents from state to state on orders.

Military kids move a lot, sometimes eight or nine times, or more, during their K-12 school years. The Interstate Compact provides consistency across states and was drafted with the intent to avoid conflict with existing state codes, where possible. It replaces widely varying policies that affect transitioning military-connected students and supports uniform treatment for them as they transfer between school districts and member states.

While the Compact is not exhaustive in its coverage, it does address the four key issues military families encounter: eligibility, enrollment, placement and graduation. As the Florida commissioner to Military Interstate Children’s Compact Commission (MIC3), appointed by the governor, I coordinate with the Florida Department of Education, military school liaison officers (SLOs), and commissioners from other states, as well as the national Interstate Compact office in Lexington, Ky. We work to resolve transfer issues and publicize the Compact so that everyone, from parents to school officials, is aware of the Compact’s contents. Florida has an active council to the MIC3, with representatives from military concentration areas around the state, uniformed members, and representatives from the governor’s office, state legislature, and Florida Department of Education, which administers the program. The Florida Council meets via phone conference at 10 a.m. on the first Friday of each quarter; meetings are open to the public. A key partner to the council and MIC3 is the military SLO, employed by the different services. These experts are the first line of defense for military parents if there is a school transfer issue. They know the Compact intimately and often resolve issues immediately. If someone contacts me about a Compact issue, my first question is usually, “Have you talked to the SLO?” If the SLO cannot resolve the issue, MIC3 has resources to support the military family, as long as the issue is covered by the provisions of the Interstate Compact. Limitations of the Compact are that it only covers public schools K-12 in the following service categories: active-duty Servicemembers, including members of the National Guard/Reserve on active-duty orders; Servicemembers/Veterans who are medically discharged or retired for one year; Servicemembers who die while on active duty for a period of one year after death; and uniformed members of the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) and the United States Public Health Service (USPHS). Specific areas addressed by the Interstate Compact include the transfer of records, immunizations, kindergarten and first-grade entrance age, graduation requirements, course placement, educational program placement, special education services, and extracurricular participation. There are more than one million school-age (5-18) dependent children in the U.S. military, worldwide. Florida has almost 39,000 military children, making it the fifth-largest concentration in the country. The Compact was adopted by states through legislation, so it has the force of law. Florida was in the first group of states to adopt it, in 2008. By 2014, all 50 states had signed on, which was key, because the requirements only apply between states that are signatories. States pay dues to the national organization based on how many military children reside in the state, providing a budget for training materials and an annual business meeting. One way MIC3, and a multitude of other organizations, honor military children is by participating in the annual April celebration of the Month of the Military Child. Established by former U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger in 1986, the Month of the Military Child acknowledges the significant role military youth play in our communities. Purple Up! For Military Kids Day is held on April 15 for military and Department of Defense communities to wear purple to show support for military children and acknowledge their challenges and adventures. Why purple? Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military, as it is a combination of Army green, Marine red, and the blue of the Coast Guard, Air Force, and Navy. Purple Up events include state proclamations, school district events, celebrations, and other recognition. To learn more about the Interstate Compact and how it advocates for children in military families, visit www.MIC3.net. There, you’ll find a great deal of information, including Florida and Georgia’s MIC3 council profiles, resources for parents, the actual text of the Compact, and parent FAQs. -More on Page 18 Bob Buehn is a retired Navy captain who was appointed as Florida’s MIC3 commissioner by Gov. Rick Scott in 2010. He is also director of the Military and Veterans Resource Center at the University of North Florida.

9401 Atlantic Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32225

60 monthly payments of $16.67 per $1,000 financed on 2021 Kia K5 and $15.15 per $1,000 financed on 2021 Kia Soul, with approved credit through KMF. Not all buyers will qualify. Example down payment 10%. Price is plus tax, tag, title, registration, any dealer-installed accessories, and a pre-delivery service fee of $999. Private Tag Agency Fee of $184, and Electronic Registration Filing Fee of $199, which charges represent costs and profits to the deal for items such as inspecting, cleaning, and adjusting vehicles and preparing documents related to the sale. Pricing is inclusive of all applicable manufacturer incentives and may not be combined with other exclusive offers. See dealer for details.

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