I like to believe I have a vibrant, bubbly personality. I like to encourage and inspire everyone I meet. Growing up a Navy brat, culture had a big influence in my life. I’ve been to Spain, Philippines, Japan, California, Washington and Florida. These experiences allowed me to have a multicultural perspective of people, especially living overseas – you learn and adapt. Every place was a different environment, but with the same experience. Over the years, I’ve learned that giving your time to activities or organizations that warm your heart is one of the most rewarding experiences. I first started becoming an active community member through outreach work. I wanted to contribute to making a change in my community where I could be myself.

I began volunteering and had my first board experience with my children’s elementary school as the Publicity Chair for the school’s foundation. It was so rewarding to help raise funds for teachers and students for the school to keep the arts programs active during a time when funds were being cut from these types of programs. I also volunteered to be a coach for middle school girls at a nonprofit program that works to encourage preteen girls to develop self-respect and healthy lifestyles through dynamic lessons and running games. I had just become an avid runner so it was a perfect match – I got to mentor and run! I coached for two seasons and although my role was to encourage these girls, I personally grew from learning self-confidence alongside them.

Soon after, I was serving on more boards, working with more nonprofits and getting more involved in my community. The highlight of my volunteer work came in the form of an event that I coordinated and co-hosted for four years, Friday Night Live Music and Arts Festival. The annual event focused on celebrating culture and diversity in downtown Jacksonville by supporting local businesses, musicians, artists, entertainers and nonprofits. It was rewarding to contribute to community revitalization by planning and holding this event in the heart of downtown each year.

I believe my volunteer efforts have led me to show up as myself and be more confident in my talents which have transformed me professionally. Since these opportunities, I have entered a new season in my professional career and look forward to engaging and leading efforts in my work, allowing me to be authentic, getting engaged with professionals and being part of an inclusive team that boldly supports my values in extraordinary ways.

(August 2016) Jacksonville’s most unique festival for local music, arts, culture and community returns for the 4th year to be held at Hemming Park, September 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, from 7 p.m.–10 p.m.

Showcasing some of the best bands in Jacksonville and an energetic crowd of community support, FNL creates a space for music lovers to engage with performers through crowd voting. From jazz to pop, rock to country, all genres are welcome to perform. Weekly winners receive studio time with Bryce Professional Studio Engineer, and a chance to win the grand finale prize of $1,000.

In addition to the bands, FNL continues its tradition of giving back to the community with Friday Night Live Gives Back Silent Auction. The proceeds from the silent auction benefit Yoga 4 Change, a non-profit using the teachings and practices of yoga to transform the lives of veterans, incarcerated individuals, youth and those who suffer from substance abuse.

Radio sponsors 93.3 The Beat and V101.5 will be onsite each night along with The Coastal, an online magazine that provides stories of the past, present and future of the First Coast Area. YWH Network photographers will capture all the fun moments of the festival.

The 4th Annual Friday Night Live! Music Festival takes the audience on an expedition to “experience, engage and express” with the multicultural elements of the event. Additional details about FNL can be found on Facebook at facebook.com/fridaynightlivemusicfestival, Instagram and Twitter: @fnljax.

(October 2015) The 3rd Annual Friday Night Live Music Festival (FNL) took place on four Fridays at The Jacksonville Landing, September 4, 11, 18 and October 2 from 8 p.m. – 1 a.m. This year’s event was sponsored by Jacksonville Fiat. The event, created, coordinated and hosted by two women entrepreneurs, Jasmine Rhey and Madelene Skinner, exhibited Jacksonville’s many talents through music, arts, culture and community engagement. This free event has created a family-friendly atmosphere in Jacksonville’s downtown urban core each year since 2013.

Jasmine Rhey and Madelene of MadFab Media aim to contribute to community revitalization by planning and holding this event in the heart of downtown Jacksonville. Their support for local musicians, artists, businesses and community produced a multicultural event that Jacksonville can look forward to for years to come. View a video of their recent interview during the event here.

“It is truly an honor to serve the community with our passion, and to inspire future generations.”- Jasmine and Madelene

One element of Friday Night Live Music Festival is the music competition highlighting Northeast Florida’s most talented bands, singers and musicians battling it out for $1,000, a limo ride to free studio time and a full song recorded at EnnEcho Studios, plus a feature on First Coast Living. From Jazz to Pop, from Rock to Country, all genres were welcome. Radio sponsors, X102.9 and Power 106.1, were on site each night entertaining attendees with giveaways and games.

A unique part of the music competition is the crowd voting and panel of influential community leaders as guest judges. The grand finale judges were Tony Allegretti, executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville, Erica Bennett, anchor and news reporter for Action News and Kevin Waters, head coach of the Jacksonville Giants and owner of H2O Entertainment. FNL 2015 winner, Angelica Christina, is a 13-year-old with an anti-bullying campaign called the Be Yourself Pledge. Previous winners were De Lions of Jah (2013) and Cloud9 Vibes (2014).

Friday Night Live Gives Back, a silent auction, raised money for the JT Townsend Foundation (JTTF). Representatives were present each night sharing information about JTTF. Since 2011, JTTF has helped more than 150 families on the First Coast with over $340,000 in adaptive equipment and financial assistance.

Urban Arts Live represented the cultural and artistic diversity of our local arts community. At the grand finale, M. Will showed off his creativity during the music performances by bringing passion, culture and diversity to FNL with a brilliant Louis Armstrong painting.

FNL had an exciting variety of “street acts,” including Inferno Inc. fire performers, Aura Pole Dance Fitness and various dance groups entertaining a diverse crowd. To close out an amazing festival, the FNL crowd was treated with a spectacular headliner performance from Rob Campman, the Hip Hop artist formerly known as Southstar from Smilez and Southstar, performing his Top 40 hit, “Tell Me”.

Additional details about FNL can be found at fnlmusicfestival.com. Connect on Facebook at facebook.com/fridaynightliveatthelanding, Instagram and Twitter: @fnljax.