2015 Annual Celebration of Caring Luncheon
St. Augustine, FL – February 
4, 2015 On March 06, 2015, Caring Hands – Caring Community and BayView Healthcare will host their annual Celebration of Caring Fundraising Luncheon celebrating 95 years of service. The luncheon will be attended by local community leaders, volunteers and extended family of the BayView Healthcare community. “At BayView Healthcare, we believe sharing is caring. This has been our tradition for almost a century. Why? Because caring for the infirmed and promoting healing connects us with the deeper resources of life and meaning, connects us with each other, and connects us with ourselves,” stated Dr. Larry Lake, Executive Director / CEO of BayView Healthcare.
Caring Hands – Caring Community is a 501 (c) 3 charitable organization founded in 2004 to build awareness and support for the exceptional healthcare services provided through BayView Healthcare. The organization has expanded many of its programs over the years to meet the needs of this community while maintaining its heritage as a private not-for-profit healthcare provider. BayView provides a multi-level continuum of care, including short-term inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing, home health, assisted living, education on healthcare services, wellness and prevention for aging individuals that facilitates reaching and maintaining the highest levels of functionality. It is the purpose of Caring Hands – Caring Community to help those in need of health care services and financial assistance regardless of their ability to pay.
The annual charitable and community benefits of BayView Healthcare amount to more than $6,000,000 a year. These benefits primarily represent charitable and uncompensated healthcare services and cost-savings through programs at the skilled nursing facility, home health, the two assisted living facilities and emergency assistance.
This year Caring Hands – Caring Community is proud to recognize and honor Dr. and Mrs. Joseph Joyner as the 2015 Community Service Award Recipient. Dr. and Mrs. Joyner give generously of their time, talents and resources to make our community a better place. Serving the needs of children through education, both are a bright examples of the spirit of the “Caring Hands – Caring Community” Community Service Award.
Dr. Joyner has been Superintendent of Schools for the St. Johns County School District since July 1, 2003. He is the third appointed superintendent of one of the most rapidly growing school districts in the state, with a 4.86 percent increase in student enrollment during the past year. St. Johns County is ranked as one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. As Superintendent of the St. Johns County School District, Dr. Joyner serves as the instructional leader for 17 elementary schools, 7 middle schools, 5 high schools and 3 charter schools.
Throughout his tenure Dr. Joyner has recognized for his many years of dedication with in the education system and charitable service to St. Augustine and St. Johns County. He has founded five new elementary schools and a new middle school and overhauled a district reorganization plan. Student test scores continue to excel and have elevated St. Johns County as the fifth highest performing school district out of 67 in Florida. Their achievement scores also place them among the top 20 percent nationally.
St. Johns County School District is one of only 10 school districts in the state to earn an A for the past six years. To this day, the district continually ranks in the top 14% of the nation in What Parents Want in public schools. In addition, high school graduates rank first in the state in readiness for college.
Other accomplishments include a notable improvement in the education system’s financial condition, with the school district continually ranking among the top districts in the state in the amount of money spent on the classroom. Dr. Joyner also initiated the first Pursuing Victory with Honor Program in the state which incorporates character education into athletic programs. Dr. Joyner is currently serving as President of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents.
Dr. Joyner attended Florida State University on a football scholarship and holds masters and doctoral degrees from the University of Central Florida. He was appointed as a UCF Outstanding Alumnus for 2005 and was an Alumnus of the Decade in 2007. Dr. Joyner’s community servitude was recognized in 2009 when he received The Gus Craig Award from the Salvation Army. He serves on the boards of the PACT (Prevention Coalition, the St. Johns County Education Foundation), St. Francis House, The United Way and most recently appointed to the Flagler College Board of Trustees. Dr. Joyner is also an active member of the Rotary Club of Historic St. Augustine.
His wife, Susan Joyner, is a third grade teacher at W. D. Hartley Elementary School. She has been teaching for the Saint Johns County School District since 2003. She is in her 38th year of teaching and is passionate about her students today as she was when she began in 1977. She spent 23 of these years in Orange County serving as various grade levels and teacher leadership positions including as a National Council of Teachers of Math/Exxon “Math Specialist”. In 1989, one of her most notable professional achievements occurred when she was chosen as the Orange County Teacher of the Year. More than 10,000 teachers were eligible, and Mrs. Joyner was humbled and honored to be named the best of the best.
Mrs. Joyner chooses to focus her time and efforts on the achievements of every child she had the privilege to teach. She has extremely high expectations for her students and has taught almost 1,000 children throughout her career. Her love for each student embodies the characteristics found in all great teachers. She places tremendous value on the long lasting connections she makes with children who cross her path. It is not uncommon for her to spend hours on the phone mentoring and providing support to current and former students. Though many of them have gone on to other chapters in their lives, Mrs. Joyner keeps each of them close to her heart.
She attended the University of Georgia and the University of Central Florida before graduating from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. Mrs. Joyner is invested in the community and serves on the Pastor Parrish Committee at her church. She also participates on the Architectural Review Board for her homeowner’s association.
The Joyner’s have been married for 38 years and have two daughters, Shannon and Megan, both educators. The future of their family is with their three loving grandchildren; Lauren, Drew and Mackenzie, ages 11 years, 9 years and 3 years, respectively.
