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Jacksonville Mayor Recognizes United Way Volunteers
Female Senior Citizen of the Year, Joy Martin, Male Senior Citizen of the Year, Charlie Adcock, and James L. Fortuna Lifetime Achievement Award winner John Thomas.
Female Senior Citizen of the Year, Joy Martin, Male Senior Citizen of the Year, Charlie Adcock, and James L. Fortuna Lifetime Achievement Award winner John Thomas.
Since 1996, the Jacksonville-Duval County Council on Elder Affairs (COEA) has collaborated with the City of Jacksonville’s Mayor’s Office to recognize senior citizens and their contributions to the community through volunteerism.

This year, the Mayor’s Senior Citizen Award winners were presented to the following individuals: Male Senior Citizen of the Year, Charlie Adcock; Female Senior Citizen of the Year, Joy Martin; and Lifetime Achievement Award, John Thomas.

Award recipients John Thomas and Charlie Adcock are both long-term United Way volunteers.

After retiring from a career in journalism and broadcasting, John turned his focus to volunteer work as an advocate for seniors. He chairs several committees in Northeast Florida focused on seniors, including United Way’s Life Act: 2 Civic Engagement Task Force. In addition, he is also a founding member of United Way's Life: Act 2 Partnership Council.
John Thomas chairs several committees in the community, including United Way’s Life: Act 2’s Civic Engagement Task Force, focusing on senior engagement and independence.
John Thomas chairs several committees in the community, including United Way’s Life: Act 2’s Civic Engagement Task Force, focusing on senior engagement and independence.
Charlie Adcock organizes and files photos for United Way. He has nicknamed himself the “In-House Photo Detective.”
Charlie Adcock organizes and files photos for United Way. He has nicknamed himself the “In-House Photo Detective.”

* All photos provided by Mark E. Grisham
Comprised of business leaders, community educators and older adults, the committee identifies ways that seniors can remain engaged and active through employment or volunteer work. In addition, John is also a founding member of United Way’s Multigenerational Early Literacy Collaboration (MELC), a unique program documenting the life stories and experiences of local senior citizens through essays of middle and high school students.

Award recipient Charlie Adcock has volunteered with United Way’s Marketing and Communications Department as the official photo archivist for the past three years. Charlie, a retired school guidance counselor, has researched and organized more than 12,000 photos covering more than 25 years of United Way’s history.

United Way is grateful for volunteers, like John and Charlie, who continue to create lasting change and inspire others to give back to their community.

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