About Friends of Jacksonville Playgrounds

Kim Clontz founded Friends of Jax Playgrounds, a charitable organization focused on enhancing Jacksonville playgrounds, in 2015 after experiencing multi-generational playgrounds in other cities. She also serves as the marketing director for Charitable Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm. Previously, Kim was the public relations director for the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, the country's largest spinal cord and brain injury rehabilitation hospital. Additionally, she held the position of public relations coordinator for Sawyer Riley Compton, an advertising and public relations agency in Atlanta. Kim graduated from the College of Charleston in S.C., earning a bachelor’s degree in business with a minor in marketing. She currently lives in Jacksonville, FL, with her husband and two daughters, actively engaging in community advocate organizations to promote local initiatives.

A passionate community advocate and volunteer, Pamela Telis dedicated 32 years as a surface-water hydrologist and engineer with the US Geological Survey, contributing to the restoration of the Everglades National Park. In 1992, she founded the Carson City Literacy Volunteers, a charitable organization aimed at teaching adults to read. Pamela has also played an active role in community advocate organizations, serving on the Riverside Avondale Preservation Board and as part of the founding committee for the Riverside Arts Market. In 2013, she established the Friends of Boone Park South to advocate for the preservation of the 94-year-old city park, which is vital for local Jacksonville playgrounds. Most recently, Pamela joined the Riverside Avondale Preservation (RAP) ReLeaf committee, focusing on planting trees and restoring the forest canopy in the historic Jacksonville district.