Upcoming Events
The Annual OneJax Humanitarian Awards Dinner
Held May 14, 2013
Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel
The OneJax Humanitarian Awards honor those who have demonstrated the highest level of personal and professional integrity, have given generously and extensively to our community, and have been dedicated to the improvement of human relations among diverse groups in our community.
2013 Honorees:
Dottie Dorion Philanthropist & Community Volunteer
Dottie Dorion is Co-Founder of the Volunteers in Medicine Clinic Jacksonville. She grew up in a family with demonstrated artistic abilities and included Art Studies in her electives courses at University of Vermont and later in graduate school at Southern Connecticut State College. Her career choice was Nursing and she graduated from Columbia University School of Nursing and earned her Master’s in Special Education at Southern Connecticut State with Certification in Teaching at University of North Florida.
Dottie has traveled extensively for pleasure and to compete in Swimming and Triathlon, and representing USA Triathlon and the International Triathlon Union. While nursing and competitive sports were demanding, she did continue to develop her skills as a painter and photographer. She is a member of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Modern Art, The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens and the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville.
Dottie has shown her Art through the St. Augustine Art Association, Riverside Arts Festival, Williams College Museum of Art, Shoshannah Arts – B. J. Lorenz Gallery through JCVA, The Center at Ponte Vedra, and University of North Florida. A limited number of her paintings have been offered for sale through Robert James Walsh Appraisals & Antiques, VT & NYC, and Exhibitions to benefit Volunteers in Medicine. She has donated many paintings for fundraising events to Hope Haven, Community Connections, The Women’s Center of Jacksonville, University of North Florida, and Columbia University School of Nursing.
Steven T. Halverson President & CEO, The Haskell Company
Steve Halverson leads one of the nation’s largest integrated design-build organizations, with operations throughout the United States and Latin America and headquarters in Jacksonville.. During his 11-year tenure as CEO, Haskell expanded its operations internationally in Latin America and more recently into Asia; and its stock value increased 827%.
Steve received his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s University, his Juris Doctorate degree from American University in Washington, D.C. and has completed executive business education at Dartmouth University and Wharton. He is co-author of two books, as well as numerous articles in professional publications.
Steve is active in professional and civic organizations. He is past Chairman of the Design Build Institute of America and the National Center for Construction Education and Research and is Vice-Chairman of the Construction Industry Roundtable. He is also a corporate director of CSX Corporation (NYSE:CSX), PSS World Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ-PSSI) and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida.
Steve is Chairman of the Florida Council of 100, Past Chairman of the Florida Chamber of Commerce and is Vice-Chairman for St. John’s University. He also is a life trustee of the Council for Educational Change in Miami, Chairman of the Teach for America Jacksonville Advisory Board, past chairman of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and past Vice-Chairman of Regis University and the University of North Florida. He is a member of the Jacksonville University Public Affairs Institute Advisory Board and is a director of the Jacksonville Civic Council. He was 2002 campaign chair for the United Way of Northeast Florida. Steve is a 2007 recipient of the Prime Osborn Distinguished Business Leader Award and in 2008 was elected by the Florida Council on Economic Education to the First Coast Business Hall of Fame. He is a recipient of the UNF Presidential Medallion and was named Citizen of the Year by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office in 2008.
Steve lives with his wife Diane in Jacksonville. They have two children, John and Anne.
Frieda Saraga Community Activist & Volunteer
Frieda Saraga is a longstanding member of the Jacksonville Jewish community. In the LGBT and HIV communities, she is known by all as the most compassionate, generous and giving person, who will also stand beside members of these marginalized groups. While she is neither LGBT nor a person with HIV, she has been the most steadfast ally and supporter these communities in Jacksonville have ever known. She is a ‘second mom’ to so many in the HIV and LGBT communities and exemplifies an outstanding Humanitarian.
Frieda has served on the board of BRAIDS for more than 10 years, helping them sponsor the annual Artreach event to raise funds for emerging HIV/AIDS programs.She began volunteering at the old Main Street Clinic in 1989 doing HIV counseling and testing and received the Volunteer of the Year award in 1991.
In 1992, Frieda and her husband, Leonard, spearheaded the organization PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of Jacksonville. Ms. Saraga’s main focus for PFLAG was a Scholarship Program which has given out over $120,000 in college scholarships to the LGBT community since 1996.
Frieda is also a Founding Board Member of JASMYN (Jacksonville Area Sexual Minority Youth Network), serving on the Board from 1994 to 2010. Since 1991, she has served as a co-facilitator for an HIV/AIDS support group called “Positive Attitudes” at JASMYN.
Frieda worked at Planned Parenthood of NE FL as Director of Health Education continuing to do HIV counseling and testing. A certified health educator, she taught HIV prevention and reproductive health in both Duval County Schools and County Corrections Department facilities She also served as a health educator for LGBT youth at JASMYN.
Madeline Scales-Taylor Executive Director, City Kids Art Factory
Madeline Scales-Taylor, Emeritus Staff Mayo Clinic Foundation, retired in 2009 after serving 17 years. While there, she established the Community Affairs department at the Jacksonville campus and led that department from January 1998 until May of 2009. As Community Affairs Administrator, Madeline was responsible for the philanthropic, civic and volunteer endeavors of over 5000 employees. Prior to this position, she managed the merger of two Human Resource departments into one division and chaired this area for over 7 years.
Madeline currently serves as the Executive Director of the City Kids Art Factory, a position she assumed in 2009 after serving on its Board of Directors. She leads the fund- and friend-raising efforts for the non-profit organization and manages all operations ensuring effectiveness of services and grant program compliance.
During her 37 year career, Madeline held human resources management positions with several major retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Mehlville Corporation, and May Company Stores. Madeline acquired an extensive background in human resources, training, marketing and community relations. She has consulted with for-profit and non-profit organizations as a facilitator and trainer in areas of recruitment, policy/procedure development, employee relations, and strategic planning.
Since relocating to Jacksonville in 1989, Madeline has been actively involved in the community. She is a Past Chair of the Board of Directors for Leadership Jacksonville, Inc., United Way of Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission. She is a founding member of the United Way’s Women in Local Leadership Initiative and the Bold City Chapter of The Links, Inc. Currently, she sits on the Board of Trustees of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Additionally, Madeline has been a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a public service sorority, for over 40 years.
Educated in Missouri, Madeline holds a degree in social science from Webster College, Webster Groves, MO and completed postgraduate work at Northeastern University in Boston, MA.
She is married to Howard D. Taylor and they have three adult children and three grandchildren.
This video was shown during the 2013 Dinner:
See the full, hour-long conversation on our YouTube Channel
Metrotown Institute
- July 2013
University of North Florida
College of Education