Since our inception in 1995 as The Cultural Center at Ponte Vedra Beach, located in the former Post Office, our center has been a beacon of art education and cultural programming. We were an all-volunteer organization for our first 5 years.
2006: Launched our Sound Connections® Music Therapy program that provides group and individual music therapy for elementary school children with disabilities attending St. Johns County public schools.
2020: Began our Kick StART Afterschool Arts Enrichment program in response to the huge unmet demand for afterschool programs in St. Johns County elementary schools, with the heaviest burdens falling on low-income families and families of color.
2022: Changed our name to the First Coast Cultural Center (FCCC) to reflect our wider reach across the "First Coast" region of Northeast Florida. During our 30-year history we moved four times – each move necessitated by the need for larger space to accommodate our growing art instruction classes, exhibits, and events.
February 2023: Completed training to become a Certified Autism Center through the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards so that we can serve individuals with Autism in our community as well as our schools.
December 2023: Over 400 supporters, well-wishers, and public officials attended the ribbon cutting ceremony and reception for the opening of our new center located at 6000B Sawgrass Village Circle in Ponte Vedra Beach. Our beautiful 2-story facility allows us to serve more participants per class, increase the number of classes, and affords more space for larger cultural exhibits. In addition, the new center provides for programmatic growth (demand for art education and instruction and cultural programming), which significantly increased post-COVID and continues today.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion – Art belongs to all of us!
Believing the arts have transformative power and can bring joy, self-confidence, and personal growth to individuals of all ages, we provide year-round: 1) Quality art classes in varied disciplines for adults and youth, from novice to advanced; art camps for youth ages 6-12 (10 weeks of summer camps; 1 week of winter break camp); and Master Arts workshops for adults; 2) Exhibitions of local, regional, national, and international artists in a variety of media; and 3) Events for the community such as our meet the artist opening receptions and our annual "Beaches, A Celebration of the Arts" that recognizes individuals, businesses, and organizations that go above and beyond to enhance the arts and culture in St. Johns County. There is no other organization in the area dedicated to providing multi-disciplinary arts programming for individuals of all ages, income levels, and skill levels.
Our two programs in participating St. Johns County public elementary schools give special attention to providing access to the arts to economically disadvantaged children and to children with disabilities, two historically underserved populations. Each program was recognized for Excellence by the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners.
• Sound Connections® Music Therapy program, offered free of cost, serves children ages 3 to 12 with varied disabilities at participating elementary schools during the school year. In 2024 over 520 students were served in 8 schools.
• Kick StART Afterschool Art Enrichment program for SJC elementary school children (K-5th grade) is offered at 8 participating schools during the school year. It is free of charge to children from low-income families. Since its inception in 2020, over 630 children have been served.
Our Leadership
President and CEO Donna Guzzo came to FCCC in 2018. Her motto, Success is Imminent!, reflects her positive, can-do attitude. Donna has spent the last 30 years working in the non-profit sector, fueled by her desire to help people. She is a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute program and has traveled with Rotary International on humanitarian missions. In 2024 Donna attended a conference at the United Nations (Sustainable Development Goals Initiative) and is one of the first cohorts of educators and CEOs in the country to incorporate the goals of the initiative into programming for children - peace and justice, protect the planet, end to poverty, and gender equality. She is the embodiment of a servant leader that cares deeply about her team and the mission at hand. Under her leadership, FCCC has grown to serving over 10,000 people annually.
FCCC’s volunteer Board of Directors is comprised of civic-minded people from various walks of life. They are tasked with setting goals relating to our mission, ensuring compliance with legal and ethical standards and financial oversight.
