2018 Gus Craig Award Winner Mike Davis
By Chad Light
Photo by Kate Gardiner
Ask people to describe past recipients of the Salvation Army’s Gus Craig award, and you’ll hear the same words repeated about each of the twenty deserving members of the community who have been awarded the honor since its inception in 1998.
“Selfless.” “Dedicated.” “Caring.” “Committed to the community.” “Philanthropic.” “Giving.”
Over and over again, you’ll hear those words applied to the Gus Craig Award recipients in respect to the things they do for the people in our city, how tirelessly they work for our community, and how quietly they go about doing this work. All of those adjectives apply in abundance to Mike Davis, President of the homeless services organization, Home Again St. Johns (HASJ), and this year’s Salvation Army, Gus Craig Award honoree.
Davis’ family roots run deep in the St. Augustine soil. His grandfather, A.D. Davis, started A.D. Davis Construction back in 1954, and over the years, they have helped to build, preserve, and renovate some of the most iconic structures in St. Johns County.
Davis himself has a deep and profound love for this community, which he has called home for most of his life, and this love has been demonstrated time and time again. He has dedicated countless hours and financial resources in efforts to establish a united uervices center and supportive housing for the vulnerable homeless population as well as those who are at-risk of becoming homeless.
Home Again St. Johns, (HASJ) a nonprofit organization, is just the tip of the iceberg of Davis’ 30-year volunteer involvement in the community. He has been a youth sports basketball and baseball coach since the early 1990s, and has served on several boards and committees, including ARC of the St. Johns, Flagler Hospital, St. Johns County Little League, the downtown Rotary Club (of which he has been a longtime member), and the Affordable Housing Committee, just to name a few. Plus, he helped design and build one of the most frequented and beloved playgrounds in St. Augustine — Project Swing.
Ellen Walden, Executive Director of HASJ believes that Davis embodies the Rotary mantra, “Service Above Self.” According to Walden, “The part that has amazed and inspired me over the years is the heart and soul Mike puts into his efforts to help those organizations and individuals. Whether it’s spearheading efforts to raise money to build a much needed facility for disabled children, or putting together a fundraiser to help build a long overdue facility to house our at-risk homeless, Mike’s generosity of spirit shines through!”
According to Walden, “volunteerism” isn’t just a word to Davis; he embodies the very spirt of it. Never one to take things for granted, he leads by example, continuing to support and elevate St. Johns County in any way possible, and shows no signs of slowing down as HASJ prepares for construction on the United Services Center. The expansion, which will include supportive housing for the homeless, is a dream come true thanks to hurricane disaster funds coming to the county from HUD. Davis and his team couldn’t be more thrilled to see this project come to fruition.
We asked the 2018 Gus Craig Award winner to sit down and reflect upon his charitable work over the years.
OCL: Tell us about the beginning of Home Again St. Johns (HASJ). Why was it founded?
Mike Davis: Home Again was founded in 2010 as a volunteer group that became a nonprofit organization to help bring together the numerous agencies working to serve the needs of the homeless community. It connects them to services and opportunities to get back to a job and a home.
OCL: What are your goals in regards to HASJ? What is the ultimate objective?
Mike Davis: I would like to see the United Service Center built so that all of the homeless service providers have a designated location to provide services to those most in need.
OCL: What have been some of the triumphs? Some of the struggles? Most memorable moments?
Mike Davis: Money to fund the organization has always been a struggle. We are lucky to have received a tremendous amount of help from so many in the community. The multitude of stories of how Home Again has helped provide needed services or find someone a job and a home have been the most memorable.
OCL: Is there anyone in the community who also supports and has helped HASJ achieve its mission that you’d like to thank?
Mike Davis: David Hoak, our first Executive Director, and Ellen Walden, our current Director, have been amazing. Al and Olivia Dinehart have done an amazing job organizing and coordinating the Dining with Dignity program. They’ve done so much with so little. Paul, our full-time employee who was once homeless, is one of our real success stories.
OCL: What does it mean to you to see the progress that HASJ has made since its inception?
Mike Davis: It speaks to all of the generous people within our community that are willing to give of their time and resources to help those less fortunate than themselves.
OCL: Any memories of Gus Craig that you’d like to share?
Mike Davis: I had the honor to know Mr. Craig when I was a young man. He was one of the people that made St. Augustine a great place to grow up and live in. I was an altar boy at the Cathedral and Mr. Craig always took the time to talk to us.
OCL: There have been so many wonderful people upon whom this honor has been bestowed. Can you comment on some of the past recipients?
Mike Davis: They are some of the best role models in our community. I am humbled to be included in the group.
