Mechanical bull riding, line dancing and barbecue are coming together Friday night at Palm Valley Barn in Ponte Vedra Beach for Bulls, Boots & BBQ, a fundraiser benefiting a local nonprofit that mentors young men. The event runs from 7 to 10 p.m. at the venue located at 531 North Wilderness Trail, according to WJXT News4JAX.
According to News4JAX, the fundraiser will raise money for House of Gentlemen, which the outlet describes as a nonprofit focused on mentoring and empowering young men. The night's lineup includes live music from Justin St. Clair & Co., along with country music, line dancing and barbecue, plus a roster of local vendors on hand.
House of Gentlemen is part of a broader Jacksonville landscape of programs serving young men. The 1925 Alpha Men of Jacksonville Foundation, for example, runs Men of Valor, a monthly development program for boys ages 8 to 18 focused on leadership, academics and social skills. Separately, Bridge Builders United describes a year-round mentoring program for 10- to 18-year-olds that combines education, life skills and leadership training. The groups are independent, but their work illustrates the range of local approaches to mentoring. The foundation’s Men of Valor program and Bridge Builders United’s mentoring program
The broader need is substantial: national mentoring group MENTOR estimates that one in three young people reach age 19 without a mentor, and nearly 70% of young people recall a time they wanted a mentor but did not have one. Fundraising is also a challenge for the field: MENTOR says 44% of mentoring programs surveyed cited it as a difficulty. Those figures put local fundraisers such as Bulls, Boots & BBQ in the context of a nationwide effort to expand youth mentoring. MENTOR’s national mentoring snapshot
A Birthday Celebration Joins the Festivities
Beyond the fundraising goal, organizers are planning to celebrate Justin St. Clair's birthday during the event, the report notes. The combination of live music, mechanical bull riding and a birthday celebration gives the evening a festive, community-gathering feel alongside its charitable purpose.
General admission and VIP tickets are available through the event listing, per the same account, though specific pricing wasn't detailed. Anyone hoping to saddle up for a bull ride, grab some barbecue or support House of Gentlemen's mentoring work has until Friday evening to make plans for the Ponte Vedra Beach gathering.
Florida also sets rules for charitable fundraising: organizations soliciting contributions in the state generally must register with the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and renew annually, with exemptions and a separate filing option for qualifying small charities. The department’s Check-A-Charity service lets prospective donors review registration and financial information. The state’s guidance offers a way for people considering a contribution to look up an organization before giving. Florida’s charitable-solicitation requirements
