$30,000 to Expand Meals and HomeMaker Services to Gulf County Seniors

PORT ST. JOE, FLORIDA-March 30, 2004- Today Clay Smallwood, Board member of The St. Joe Community Foundation, presented the Board of Directors of The Gulf County Senior Citizens Association with a grant of $30,000 to expand community outreach services to Gulf County Senior Citizens.

The funds will increase the number of individuals who receive home delivered meals and home-maker services, and will help provide emergency medical responders for elderly residents who live alone, assist with providing needed medical equipment, minor home repairs, and emergency energy assistance for utilities payments.

“This grant means that twenty to thirty additional Gulf County elderly will receive a home delivered meal and essential support services so that they can remain in their homes with dignity, improving their quality of life,” said Jerry Stokoe, Executive Director of the Gulf County Senior Citizens Association, Inc. “Many of these people have been waiting for these services and we are truly grateful to have support from The St. Joe Community Foundation so that we can respond to their needs.”

“The Gulf County Seniors Citizens Association is one of the most effective, responsive organizations in Gulf County,” said Smallwood. “We are grateful to them for their compassionate service to the elderly and The St. Joe Community Foundation is pleased to play a role in making these essential services accessible to more individuals in need.”

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About The Gulf County Senior Citizens Association, Inc.

The Gulf County Senior Citizens Association is a 501 c 3 organization that provides a range of services for both the active and homebound elderly population of Gulf County.  Funding comes from local and state public funds and private contributions.  To learn more about their offerings and ways you can help, contact Jerry Stokoe, Executive Director, at 850 229 8466.

About The St. Joe Community Foundation

The St. Joe Company created The St. Joe Community Foundation (STJCF), formerly named Northwest Florida Improvement Foundation, 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 has granted over $739,000 to Bay County; $171,000 in Franklin County; $428,000 in Gulf County; and over $1,00,,000 in Walton County, and more than $200,000 to multi-county initiatives that  total more than $2,500,000 in grants to the region.  STJCF funding currently comes primarily from sales in Arvida communities and RiverCamps, like WindMark Beach in Gulf County.

STJCF’s unique funding structure is based on payments from St. Joe that are a percentage of the proceeds from new sales in specific St. Joe communities developed by Arvida and RiverCamps.  Payments continue each time the properties are resold through deed covenants, added by St. Joe at the initial sale, requiring a transfer fee to be paid to STJCF each time a property is subsequently sold.  In this way, St. Joe, through Arvida and RiverCamps, and the property owners who live in our neighborhoods are partnering with the community for the betterment of the entire region. STJCF investments are based on building civic infrastructure and providing on-going improvements in the region through grants and initiatives that promote teaching and learning and create healthier communities. To learn more about STJCF or to request a 2002 annual report and quarterly e-newsletter, log on to www.stjcf. com or contact Pamela Selton, STJCF executive director, at 850.231.6558.