Planning to attend THE PLAYERS this year? You can purchase tickets through their Chip In For Charity program! Chip In For Charity is available for tickets purchased for Thursday, March 9th through Sunday, March 12th.

Use promo code SANCTUARYON8 to make sure $40 of your ticket purchase benefits the great kids at the Sanctuary on 8th Street. Program ends on February 24th.

Another way to benefit the Sanctuary is through the Birdies for Charity program. Guess the number of birdies that will be made during the tournament for a chance to win $10,000. This requires a minimum $20 donation. Be sure to select Sanctuary on 8th Street as the beneficiary! Program ends on March 8th.

Thank you to all the volunteers, donors, and friends of the Sanctuary who gathered at Brick & Beam for our annual fundraiser, the Shindig, on the evening of October 6! Each year, funds raised through the Shindig help ensure we can maintain and grow our youth programs, and serve our children to the best of our ability. This year, thanks to our generous community of supporters, we were able to raise over $75,000 as we celebrated 30 Years of Hope, and we look forward to many years to come.

If you were unable to attend, we have posted the video program below that was shared at the event.

The Shindig is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Delores Barr Weaver Forever Event Fund.

Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023. 3:00-5:00 PM.

Target at 6331 Roosevelt Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32244.

We are always looking for volunteer chaperones to walk Sanctuary students around Target for a holiday shopping experience.

This event is such a happy time for the children on 8th Street!

In December 2022, we were able to bring more children to this experience than ever before. We had over 50 children attend, with over 50 volunteers.

Please contact rick@sanctuaryon8th.org if you are interested in volunteering.

A donation of $100 will sponsor a child for this event. Donations of any amount can be made online or by check mailed to P.O. Box 3301, Jacksonville, FL, 32206.

To benefit the Sanctuary on 8th Street
Written and Performed by Al Letson, Storyteller
Directed by Rob Urbinati
Music by Willie Evans Jr.

Summer in Sanctuary is a solo show by performance poet, playwright, actor and public radio host Al Letson. Letson chronicles his summer working as a creative writing teacher at the Sanctuary on 8th Street, a nonprofit serving children in Springfield. Funny, poignant and ultimately inspiring, Summer in Sanctuary will take you into the heart of a community and leave you with a better understanding of the world.
Told through monologue, poetry, song and sound-rich reporting, Summer in Sanctuary takes you beyond the statistics to reveal the unseen challenges and complexities facing students in underserved communities across the country.

About Al Letson
Al Letson is a playwright, performance poet, actor, public radio host and executive producer whose soul-stirring, interdisciplinary work has received national recognition and built a devoted fan base. In 2008, Letson created, hosted, and executive produced State of the Re:Union. The show received critical acclaim and numerous awards, including a Peabody Award (2014) and three consecutive National Edward R. Murrow Awards (2012, 2013, 2014). Letson later joined the Center for Investigative Reporting to help launch and host public radio’s first investigative journalism show, Reveal. The show’s pilot, “The VA’s Opiate Overload,” won a Peabody Award (2013).

A true renaissance man, Letson got his start on stage as a performance poet where he established himself in the Poetry Slam community. This background seamlessly weaves spoken word into the fabric of his theater work. His plays and poetry have been performed on stages and TV screens across the country.

While his interests are varied, they are all aspects of who Al Letson is — a storyteller.

View our videos on Youtube

SHINDIG
October 5, 2023
Target Holiday Shopping
December 13, 2023

If you are interested in exploring sponsorship opportunities for any of our events, please reach out to Executive Director Rick Cartlidge, rick@sanctuaryon8th.org.