The Voice - April 2021 Edition

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

The Voice THE OFFICIAL EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER OF JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT

What's New JAXSTRONG SUPPORTS SAAPM SAD COMMANDER SHARES VISION DANCING BIRD BRINGS JOY AND MORE!

JaxStrong employees and furry friends raise awareness for Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month Story by Maria Eggers and Amanda Parker

Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month (SAAPM) occurs each April, and this year, JaxStrong shows its support by wearing teal.

JaxStong team members and their furry friends stepped up to show their visual support and commitment to prevent and stop sexual assault and harassment.

THE VOICE

PAGE 1

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

The Department of Defense and many community organizations observe SAAPM with events that raise public awareness and reaffirm our commitment to eliminate sexual assault.

This year's Army theme is "Building Cohesive Teams through Character, Trust, and Resilience. Protecting Our People Protects Our Mission." We ask every soldier, family member, army civilian, and soldier for life to listen, care, and intervene to prevent and respond to sexual assault this April and every day of the year.

Army leaders stress it is incumbent upon all leaders - whether they wear chevrons, stars, or suits - to foster the same culture of intervention for sexual assault and sexual harassment.

We must encourage cultures in which people care about one another and form cohesive teams in which each person feels a sense of belonging and is treated with dignity and respect.

Everyone plays a role in preventing and eliminating sexual assault and sexual harassment. Each day we can take steps that foster a climate of dignity and respect.

Pictured: JaxStrong Antilles Office employees show their support of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month by wearing teal.

THE VOICE

PAGE 2

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

In addition to wearing teal, Denim Day occurs on April 28 to show support for survivors. Denim Day directly supports the month’s awareness and outreach goals by encouraging people to wear jeans and other denim as an outward expression of support for sexual assault survivors and as a visible protest against the myths and misconceptions surrounding the crime of sexual assault.

PICTURED Top (L to R): Zulamet Vega-Liriano, Rebecca Lee-Duffell, Jim Jeffords, and Kelly Keefe.

Bottom (L to R): Jaci Verwers, Duke Clark, Erin Duffy, and John Campbell.

THE VOICE

PAGE 3

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

On April 21, Headquarters USACE will host "Ask a SARC Day." Employees have the opportunity to ask Sexual Assault Response Coordinators (SARC) questions that weren't answered during SHARP training. The event will occur from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

(EST). For more information, contact Sharp Victim Advocate Maria Eggers at 904.232.2119.

PICTURED Top (L to R) Maritza Perez, Martrice Hunter, Lt. Col. Joe Sahl, Ashleigh Fountain and coworker, Teddy.

Bottom (L to R): Bob Kennedy, Remi, Maria, and Akari Eggers, Hercules Eggers, and Tim Pettengill.

THE VOICE

PAGE 4

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

Did You Know? Facts About Sexual Assault and Awareness.

Sexual Assault Awareness Month had its beginnings in 2001, when the National Sexual Violence Resource Center coordinated the first formally recognized Sexual Assault Awareness Month campaign. It wasn't until 2009, however, when President Barak Obama made the first official proclamation that April was Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Take Back the Night events were the first organized response to sexual assault and violence against women, started in 1976.

There is no national law against sexual assault in the United States. Each state varies its law with respect to rape and sexual assault crimes. The Uniform Code of Military Justice is the only criminal code that applies the law universally.

Teal became the color of Sexual Assault Awareness Month in 2000 after a vote was held among various sexual violence coalitions from across the United States.

Do you have questions? Reach out to the district's victim advocates/resources: SAJ SHARP Victim Advocates: Martrice Hunter and Maria Eggers USACE Safe Helpline: (800) 281-6224 DoD Safe Helpline: (877) 995-5247 https://safehelpline.org anonymous, confidential help available 24/7

On The Cover: Office of Counsel team members, joined by their furry friends, show their support of Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month by wearing teal.

Pictured Top row: David Hart, Alex Holliday, and Bruce Groover.

Middle row: Brooks Moore, Amber Jackson, and Beth Vavrica.

Bottom row: Rachel Gray, and Jocelyn Croci.

THE VOICE

PAGE 5

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

SAD Commander Jason Kelly spends day with JaxStrong and talks priorities Story and photos by Maya Jordan, Corporate Communications Office

South Atlantic Division Commander Jason Kelly recently visited Port Everglades with Jacksonville District team members, and CCO caught up with him to get his thoughts about Port Everglades, and his vision for the Jacksonville District.

Pictured: Col. Jason Kelly meets with Port Everglades official.

Here is what he had to say...

Question: What is one takeaway that you learned about the projects here in Broward County?

The importance of Port Everglades beyond the cruise industry certainly resonated. The diversity in what happens here was not understood until I got on the water. Not until I spent time with the port director. My appreciation for all that happens here in energy in the container market in addition to the cruise industry certainly resonated with me today.

Question: With you assuming command June 2020, what are some of your priorities for SAJ?

Each time I’m afforded an opportunity to engage members of anyone of the five districts that comprise the SAD. I’m always going to talk about these four things: People, Programmatic Execution, I’m going to emphasize Partnership and I’m going to emphasize continuing Preparation for tomorrow. Today, while out on the water I was afforded the opportunity to see partnership in action.

Time spent with the executives of this port certainly. It was clear that the partnership the Jacksonville District has with this port is healthy, it’s strong, it’s a model, one that I want to see replicated throughout our region THE VOICE

PAGE 6

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

And that wasn’t reported to me I was able to see it firsthand. The opportunity to meet and spend time with you all during lunch is an opportunity for me to see in action the commitment that we’re making to our people.

If you think about onboarding, length of time others have been members of this organization and what makes it special. Those are all anecdotes—stories that I will take with me and communicate with others.

It's what makes this organization special. And so the opportunity to get out of my office get out of the federal building in Atlanta and see what makes this organization special I wouldn’t trade for the world.

Question: What is your favorite thing about the Jacksonville District?

The people and the weather. Every time I come to Florida I get a chance to spend time with phenomenal people. The very best of us. And its always sunny here. I like coming to the Jacksonville District.

THE VOICE

PAGE 7

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

Unusual talent brings joy to many Story by Nakeir Nobles, Corporate Communications Office

In her approximately 15 years of age, although there is no documentation available to confirm her actual age, she’s become an Internet sensation with her notorious dance moves.

With more than 14 thousand visits to her Facebook page, three thousand YouTube subscribers, and her videos shared tens of millions of times, Griffi has endured a lot of pain and heartache to get her where she is today.

Griffi, commonly known as Griffi The Dancing Cockatoo, has a touching backstory. She lived with her original owner several years before he died.

After he passed, she was passed around, ending up with a family member who put her in the basement because they didn’t like her yelling noises. Because her noises were so loud and persistent, she was then put outside in a small cage with no toys and a single perch.

When Griffi would yell, she would get yelled at and have things thrown at her. She stayed in that environment for five years and was never allowed to leave her cage.

Eventually, another family member took ownership of Griffi and gave her to a pet store where she lived for a year.

Griffi The Dancing Cockatoo

She was housed in the same tiny cage and fed meals of sausage rolls and sausage muffins from a well-known fast-food eatery. Griffi was kept covered at the pet store because her noises weren’t well tolerated there either. Eventually, the owner said she had to go!

THE VOICE

PAGE 8

APRIL 2021

VOLUME 3

It wasn’t long after the pet store stay that Florida Parrot Rescue took Griffi into its facility. It was there she met her foster parents, who were volunteers at the agency.

They later adopted her.

“After we started volunteering in November 2018, we saw a call-out on Facebook for a desperate need for fosters,” said Alana Moinot, a cartographer in the district’s engineering division. Sharing Griffi and her talent with the world was accidental, says Moinot.

“My Facebook page is normally private, but back in October, my sister asked if I would make one of Griffi’s videos public so she could share it. It just skyrocketed from there.”

According to Moinot, Griffi doesn’t discriminate against her music choices. "She loves rap, reggae, jazz, southern rock…”[it] depends on her mood.”

“We had music on one day and noticed her dancing. [We] started playing different types of music and then started videotaping her to share with family.” She will perform anywhere, and she does not care as long as there is music [playing] she likes, Moinot said. “She will listen to a beat and dance on cue to it. It’s pretty cool to see her pause, cock her head and then find the rhythm on her own.”

Griffi isn't featured on any local Jacksonville market new shows, but a station in Austin, TX shared her video. Moinot is still finding out how famous Griffi may be.

“We had no idea and it wasn’t until companies started contacting us about purchasing the rights to her videos that we even knew,” Minoit said. “I’m still learning every day how far and wide she has been shared."

"Since she went viral so many people have posted and messaged me about how much joy she has brought them given the state of the world.

Many people have said they have not smiled or laughed for months until they saw her videos. "It made me cry many times.”

Traumatic events and environments Griffi encountered cause her to pluck her feathers. Minoit and her family are working to curve this behavior, but it may be a long process. Griffi knows people make fun of her looks but is happy knowing her human parents love her, tolerate her screams, feed her well, and will let her dance her heart out for the rest of her life.

THE VOICE

PAGE 9