St. Joe Commnunity Foundation

(2/15/2007) The St. Joe Community Foundation Awarded $25,000 to the Seaside Repertory Theatre

The St. Joe Community Foundation Awarded $25,000 to the Seaside Repertory Theatre

SEASIDE, Fla. (February 15, 2007) –The St. Joe Community Foundation provided the Seaside Repertory Theatre with a $25,000 grant check to serve as the final installment of a three-year, $60,000 commitment. This donation was presented on Wednesday, February 14 by St. Joe Community Foundation President, Billy Buzzett, on stage at the Seaside Repertory Theatre before Seaside’s Film started. The grant provided by The Foundation will continue to help the Seaside Repertory Theatre move toward a more sustainable and self-sufficient operation. The first $15,000 installment was made in February 2005, the second installment in March 2006 and now the final in February 2007.

“As a result of this multi-year contribution, the Repertory has become a mainstay in the non-profit and cultural landscape of Northwest Florida,” said Jennifer Steele Saunders, managing director, Seaside Repertory Theatre. “We are grateful that the St. Joe Community Foundation’s commitment to providing a positive impact on our community is in line with the Repertory's mission to enhance the lives of Walton County and all of Northwest Florida.”

Benchmarks were set for the Seaside Repertory Theatre to reach before each grant was awarded by The Foundation. Some of these benchmarks included: outsource a PR and marketing firm to strengthen public awareness and increase audience, hire part-time administrative support staff, bring children’s shows to schools and churches in surrounding counties, and increase program months. The theatre successfully completed all benchmarks and received the full grant amount of $60,000 over the three-year period.

With the help of the St. Joe Community Foundation, The Seaside Repertory Theatre continues to successfully produce high-quality, live theatre for audiences of all ages. The Theatre performs for more than 20,000 people each year with a summer stock season of two main stage productions and an outdoor family production. Among other performances, the Seaside Repertory produces the Autumn Playwright Festival in October, celebrating the work of a major playwright with a main stage production, staged play readings, and more.

“The St. Joe Community Foundation has a long-standing history of supporting organizations that benefit the arts and culture in the counties in which we operate,” said Billy Buzzett, president of the Board of Trustees of The St. Joe Community Foundation. “The Seaside Repertory Theatre is an excellent example of how a dedicated organization can significantly increase the amount of cultural opportunities within a community.”

About The St. Joe Community Foundation

The St. Joe Company (NYSE: JOE) created The St. Joe Community Foundation (STJCF) in 1999 to invest in community initiatives that pay long-term returns on the quality of life in Bay, Franklin, Gulf, and Walton counties.

Since its inception, STJCF made grants of more than $14 million to organizations in the region. STJCF’s unique funding structure is based on payments from sales in specific JOE communities within the region. Payments to The Foundation continue each time the properties are resold. In this way, JOE and the property owners who live in our neighborhoods partner with the community for the betterment of the entire region.

Focused primarily on education, regional health care delivery, arts and culture and parks and recreation, STJCF grants are based on building civic infrastructure and providing ongoing improvements in the region through grants and initiatives that promote teaching and learning to create healthier communities. To learn more about STJCF, log on to www.stjcf.org.

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