Looking good, doing good - Women of Springfield

[Lunican]

Looking good, doing good

'Women of Springfield' calendar raises money for charity and awareness for neighborhood

By KONRAD MARSHALL, The Times-Union

It started as a joke. Matt Rice was holding a little soiree at his Ninth Street home near the end of summer, when someone floated the notion of a "Women of Springfield" calendar - something to present a positive image of the neighborhood.

Rice would pay for the printing. His friend, lawyer Sean Dore, would put up the money for photography. Their friend Renee Parenteau would be the perfect shutterbug. They could build a Web site (www.9thstreetcharities.org) to sell the product. And once costs had been recouped (which happened during the past month), the proceeds could go to a worthy charity.

All the altruistic venture needed were the babes - successful, attractive and educated Springfield settlers. Pretty, professional pioneers of the northern neighborhood. Pioneers like . . . well . . . like Rice's wife, Jessica.

And so, within a week, the conscripted 31-year-old consulting firm manager found herself in front of Jacksonville's historic Firehouse No. 2 - the "Springfield Deuce" - on a blazing 100-degree day, wearing a little red crop-top and teensy black hot pants.

"I remember a bunch of firemen standing around with their cell phones, going click, click, click," Jessica Rice said, laughing. "It was a little bit intimidating, with all these men around while I'm essentially in my underwear. But it was a lot of fun."

Full Article:
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/121207/lif_224734253.shtml

[jbm32206]

Yeah, it's nicely done and I'm sure that the guys like it....I suggested that they do one of the men too, next time.

[thelakelander]

I need to get one of these and take it out to the beach.  When I mentioned this at work last week, my co-workers immediately thought I was talking about hookers.

[jbm32206]

Funny....I guess there's still people out there that think of Springfield as a bad area...boy are they mistaken. Anyway, I think they'll be surprised at how nice of a job they did on the calendar.

[thelakelander]

Believe it or not, there's still people in our community who believe everything on the north and west sides of the river, excluding Riverside/Avondale and Ortega, are bad areas.

[02roadking]

Funny....I guess there's still people out there that think of Springfield as a bad area...boy are they mistaken. Anyway, I think they'll be surprised at how nice of a job they did on the calendar.

Until the main corridors (8th and Main) have viable & substained businesses, then it will allways be this way. Kudo's to the Women though. I should get one.   

[City Slicker]

Any more of the calendars around anywhere?

[fsujax]

Believe it or not, there's still people in our community who believe everything on the north and west sides of the river, excluding Riverside/Avondale and Ortega, are bad areas.

So true, Lake.  Whenever, I tell people I live in Springfield it's one of two reactions. Either, "that's cool, you live in one of those big old houses" or "aren't you scared!" haha.  No more scared than I would be living in Mandarin or any other supposed good part of town.  I think the way both Main St and 8th St look, still has a lot to do with the negative perception of the neighborhood.  We need more than fancy light poles and landscaping!

[thelakelander]

How about businesses occupying the empty storefronts?  If we could get at least one block of Main dominated by new businesses (ex. between 8th & 7th), I think that alone turn around the commercial sector's fortune and be a huge image boost for local residents and outsiders.