An often-overlooked benefit of the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is the philanthropical commitment from the committee.
An often-overlooked benefit of the Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival is the philanthropical commitment from the committee. Every month the treasurer makes cash donations to local non-profits such as Micah’s Place, the Girl Scouts, or the Nassau Education Foundation. As a non-profit organization, the Shrimp Festival finds numerous ways to help other amazing organizations.
Recently, Hospitality and Volunteer Chairperson Jennifer Fritts took a mission trip to the Okoa Refuge located in Uganda, Africa. She was able to take 75 Shrimp Festival T-shirts and donate them to a local orphanage. “The children looked adorable running around the orphanage in those Shrimp Festival shirts,” Jennifer said.
Jennifer migrated to Amelia Island in 2015 and immediately got plugged in to the community. Second to her trip to Africa, stumbling across the opportunity to join the Shrimp Festival committee has been one of the most rewarding things she has done. “I can vouch for what an enormous production it is behind the scenes. It takes hundreds of volunteers – hundreds of hours – to pull off this family-friendly weekend event.” Jennifer continued, “With the help of dedicated volunteer committee members, local sports and other organizations, the Shrimp Festival goes on every year. This prideful island embraces a spirit of volunteerism and enthusiasm that is very special. Being a part of this community and the festival has revived my sense of community service and teamwork. It takes a village!” She concluded.
The 55th annual Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival, sponsored by Baptist Health – Nassau, will be held May 4-6, 2018, in historic, downtown Fernandina Beach. The traditional Pirate Parade will be held Thursday, May 3rd at 6:00 p.m. to kick-off the weekend’s festivities. There will be a huge Kid’s Fun Zone, over 400 art, craft, and antique vendors, nationally recognized entertainment, Miss Shrimp Festival pageant, contests, pirates, and of course, plenty of shrimp served up by Nassau County non-profit organizations! The festival is free to attend.
We are grateful for the continued support of gracious volunteers within our community. If you are interested in participating this year, feel free to reach out to volunteer@shrimpfestival.com for more information.
