Baptist Health Care and Santa provide Christmas gifts to C.A. Weis Elementary students

Santa Claus arrived via LifeFlight, an Air Methods air medical service program, to nearly 500 cheering students at C.A. Weis Elementary School, a Community Partnership School. The special visit is part of the annual Christmas celebration sponsored by Baptist Health Care.

Team members across Baptist departments shopped for the students’ wish lists and brought snacks, games and activities to each classroom. Funds for the Christmas gifts and party are provided through the Helping Hands team member giving program of the Baptist Health Care Foundation, which is funded by generous contributions from Baptist team members across the organization.

Baptist has been hosting the annual Christmas party for C.A. Weis for more than 20 years.

Academy Sports + Outdoors donates $5,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast

Ahead of the SEC Soccer Tournament semi-finals, Academy Sports + Outdoors recently surprised the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast with a $4,500 gift card donation.

There were 20 boys and girls who each received a $150 gift card and got to shop Academy for all new soccer balls, cleats, and equipment. Pensacola Police Department officers were onsite to interact with and help the kids shop. Boys & Girls Clubs leadership used $1,000 to purchase new gear and equipment for the organization.

Additionally, as a small thank you for their service, Academy donated a $500 gift card to Pensacola’s Finest Foundation to purchase new sporting goods equipment. Academy also provided a total of 70 tickets to the Boys & Girls Clubs and Pensacola PD to watch the championship game. Academy Sports + Outdoors is proud to be the Official Sporting Goods and Outdoors Retailer of the SEC.

Visit academy.com for details.

Find ways to help: Pensacola Habitat for Humanity receives $66K from Lowe’s to make renovations for seniors

Aviation Community Day celebrates history and future of Black aviation

Escambia County District 3 Commissioner Lumon May recently joined in celebrating the history and future of Black aviation during Aviation Community Day, honoring special guest Capt. Victor Glover, who made history in 2021 as the first Black astronaut to live long-term aboard the International Space Station.

Capt. Glover, who first began his military career training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, has also been selected to pilot NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission in 2024.

Aviation Community Day took place at Legion Field, kicking off Veterans Day weekend with a variety of educational and fun activities highlighting Black aviators and inspiring local youth.

This free community event was hosted by Commissioner May, in partnership with the Black Aviators Network, for children in the community who may not otherwise have an opportunity to meet an astronaut. Attendees included military leaders, aviators, local law enforcement and community members.

Glover has a distinguished career with the U.S. Navy, Air Force and NASA and was selected in 2013 as one of eight members of the 21st NASA astronaut class. He has accumulated 3,000 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft, over 400 carrier arrested landings and 24 combat missions.

To learn more about Glover, visit nasa.gov.

Dunkin’ steps up in honor of National First Responders Day

In honor of National First Responders Day, Dunkin’ Donuts visited local fire and police stations in the region and provided freshly brewed coffee and boxes of donuts as a “thank you” for their unwavering commitment and dedication to the community. These first responders enjoyed their well-deserved coffee break and sweet treats, along with a special thanks from the local Dunkin’ team.

Delivering coffee and donuts is Dunkin’s small way of recognizing the hard work and selflessness these first responders put in day after day. In 2019, Oct. 28was officially set aside to honor the police officers, firefighters, EMTs and all those who are first on scene in an emergency by marking National First Responders Day. Across the United States, approximately 4.6 million people serve as first responders and protect their communities.

Visit DunkinDonuts.com for details.

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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Baptist and Santa provide Christmas gifts to C.A. Weis students