JACKSONVILLE, Florida - THE PLAYERS announced that the Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS) will be the recipient of a $45,000 grant from THE PLAYERS Championship. This contribution will be utilized to purchase a dedicated vehicle for JHS, enhancing their capacity to deliver humane education outreach programs to the local community.

The grant from THE PLAYERS will specifically fund the acquisition of a mobile outreach vehicle, enabling the Jacksonville Humane Society to expand its reach and impact in the community. The focus of this outreach effort is to bring the joy of reading and the companionship of animals to children in local schools and afterschool nonprofit programs via Pawsitive Reading, the program currently offered at the JHS campus.

"We are immensely grateful to THE PLAYERS Championship for their generous grant, which will enable us to take our humane education initiatives to the next level," said Denise Deisler, CEO at the Jacksonville Humane Society. "This program will bring the joy of reading and the therapeutic benefits of interacting with animals to children who may not otherwise have the option to come to JHS and participate in Pawsitive Reading. Now, we can take Pawsitive Reading on the road!"

“We hope that with this donation we can help foster a lifelong love of learning for our younger fans and we can't think of a better way to do this than with the helping paws of our furry friends at Jacksonville Humane Society," said Emily Bellock, Senior Director Community Outreach, THE PLAYERS Championship.

The vehicle’s first stop was to deliver new books to youth at the MaliVai Washington Youth Fund Center along with a visit from a Dudley, a mixed breed dog who was adopted from JHS. Children took turn reading their new books to Dudley, who delighted in hearing the stories!