Charter Day Friday, April 11, 2025
What is Charter Day?
Each Spring, Jacksonville University, originally established as William J. Porter University on April 16, 1934, commemorates its founding annually through the cherished tradition of Charter Day.
On Charter Day, classes take a pause as students, staff, faculty, and community partners come together to volunteer and dedicate the morning to serving organizations across the greater Jacksonville area.
This annual celebration provides our students, staff, faculty, and community partners a valuable opportunity to reflect on the profound impact of volunteer service. Whether on campus or celebrating in your community, we encourage you to join in the festivities and wear your green and white with pride!
Thank you to our 2024 volunteers, community partners, and celebration attendees! During our 2024 celebration, over 750 volunteers served at more than 35 local organizations providing over 3,000 service hours. We look forward to partnering with you again during our 2025 celebration!
For questions on how to sign up as a community volunteer or register as a volunteer host site, please contact Emma Bryan at ebryan2@ju.edu or (904) 256-7039.
Celebrations
Charter Day of Service
- Friday, April 11, 2025
- 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Anniversary Celebration Luncheon
- Friday, April 11, 2025
- Time/Location TBA
Porter Fest
- Friday, April 11, 2025
- Time TBA
- Amphitheatre and Dolphin Green
For more information, please contact engage@ju.edu.
Follow Us
Keep up with the celebrations on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram throughout Charter Day. For official updates, follow our Jacksonville University accounts:
Share
If you're participating in Charter Day, tag us in your post! Instagram: @jacksonvilleu and @jualumni
Share your experience with the official hashtag for Charter Day and Charter Day of Service, #jugives.
Thank You to Our 2024 Community Partners!
Clara White Mission and Harvest Farms
Family Promise of Jacksonville
First Coast No More Homeless Pets
Relive Past Charter Days
2024
Charter Day 2024
Read a transcript of the video
Video Transcript
It's beautiful to see volunteers out but for folks who spend all their time trying to make the world better for the next generation it's especially beautiful to see young people engage and spend their time.
The Charter Day of Service is a great opportunity for us to pause and give back to the community. It's really just an awesome feeling just to give back, spend your time and your abilities to help other people out who might be less fortunate and uh be out here on a beautiful day with some of your best friends.
We're helping out the community and helping out JU and I think it's really good for Jacksonville just feels good to like give
Whereas Jacksonville University has been a beacon of knowledge, innovation and philanthropy serving as a catalyst for positive change in the lives of students the Arlington community, the city of Jacksonville, Florida and the world, and whereas the students, faculty staff and alumni of Jacksonville University have tirelessly volunteered their time, effort and resources to improve the well-being of our community through selfless service to others.
Therefore I,Donna Degan by virtue of the authority vested in me as mayor of Jacksonville Florida to hereby Proclaim April 16th 2024 in honor of Jacksonville University's nine Decades of service to our community! So thank you! It means so much! I hope you have seen that in the faces of the people that you have served.
2022
Charter Day 2022
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Video Transcript
"Each of us can do something that nobody else can do. I think that it's a gift. It's a gift you've received. So, how much can you give back?" - Dr. Frances Bartlett Kinne.
Every year, Jacksonville University celebrates its birthday and the signing of its charter. In honor of our founding, the University hosts Charter Day, involving service to our community followed by a celebratory festival and concert.
2021
Charter Day 2021
Read a transcript of the video
Video Transcript
Today is our charter day which is the University's birthday. Every year we give our students the day off from classes, send them out in the community for a day of service. unfortunately with Covid we had to change things up a bit so we decided we would bring the service to JU.
Feeding Northeast Florida is fortunate enough to partner with Jacksonville University to celebrate their Charter Day. We've brought supplies for snack packs to be built so the students and faculty and staff are chipping in and building those snack packs. They are small five pound bags of healthy, easy to open food, that will then go to local schools and supply those children with a bag of snacks to help sustain them when they're away from their school meal program.
We're fortunate that we've had the support of Jacksonville University in the past so that's been a long-standing relationship. >
Yes, we're doing feeding northeast Florida for Charter Day. Happy birthday JU!
My job here i just go online put all the food in the different bags and repeat. Right now I'm just stocking up in some milk and giving them out to the people.
This year it was not possible for Jacksonville University students and faculty and staff to come to our warehouse to help out, but we decided to be a little creative and bring the experience here outside on campus so that it could be done safely but also celebrate Charter Day but really help the students make a difference in our local community.
Trying to celebrate the day my school was founded is some school pride, hang out with some of my friends.
Oh my gosh! you have music, i'm gonna dance! It's like...like... what's the point of music if you're not gonna dance? you know what I mean? Like ... come on!
Tonight is Porter Fest. It's actually my first Porter Fest because last year we didn't get to have it because of Covid so i'm really excited.