Our dream to bring the USS Charles F. Adams back to Downtown Jacksonville is getting closer to reality as our supporting cast continues to grow.
The year 2011 displayed the considerable momentum that the Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association has gained. This included a successful golf fundraiser in April and a spectacular Gala last October with Florida Governor Rick Scott in attendance as our special guest. The Governor stayed for nearly two hours at the Saturday night function and, as a Naval veteran, continues to be very supportive of our public-private partnership, evidenced by three visits during the year. Additionally, we earned unanimous support from the Jacksonville City Council and numerous other organizations, briefed thousands of Jacksonville residents and new Mayor Alvin Brown and formed a well-respected Executive Committee.
In multiple visits to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard during the year, JHNSA members inspected the warship and noted that it is in great condition. We continue to transfer equipment in preparation for the vessel’s towing to Jacksonville in the near future.
Presently, we are focused on final fundraising to bring the Adams home. While we have raised approximately $5 million in-kind, we are a quarter of the way toward our goal of $250,000 to hire a permanent fund-raising staff and complete the environmental permitting by the fall of 2012.
We want to thank all 1,000 members and ask that they continue to spread the word and help raise funds since this is a cause and effort we can all be proud of for years to come.
Daniel Bean,
President
Jacksonville Historic Naval Ship Association