MEET JEWEL COLLINS: an Onyx Profile
by L.Seays

Ever since she was a child, Jewel Collins has had a sense of commitment to her community--going door to door with her mother collecting for the March of Dimes and even joining the NAACP at an early age. So it's no wonder that her constituents would see her for what she is and elect her to serve as Cocoa City?Councilwoman.

A mother of three, Jewel followed in her deceased husband's footstep and became Cocoa's first African-American Councilwoman, therefore, serving the community for two terms.

Rhetorically, how did Jewel come to be the woman that everybody loves. Well, let me count the ways: she visits patients at Wuesthoff Memorial Hospital (she doesn't have to know them), she is an assistant to special needs children, she mentors students who need help, she sorts and bags food at the Cocoa Sharing Center and delivers Meals on Wheels, she is always equipped with voter registration material that she keeps in her car to sign up unregistered voters and she has cared for two grandchildren for 15 years and to top it off, one would be hard pressed to find a civic or charitable organization of which is not a member.

Further, Jewel is responsible for the Trash Bash, Census Tract 626 - a project to turn a undesirable area of Cocoa into one of which the community can be proud. The Riverfront Park and development of Cocoa Village were achieved during the time that Jewel was in office. These were some of the reasons that in 2006, Jewel was chosen as the "March of Dimes Woman of Achievement". She was chosen from among 50 nominees and 17 finalist and was presented the award by Dr. Lisa A. Cosgrove who was given the same honor in 2004. When Jewel Collins was Cocoa Councilwoman, she was instrumental in bringing many improvements to the Cocoa area. Among them were bringing 500 jobs to Cocoa through the Cocoa North Wal-Mart; road improvements, storm water retention project, Heart of Cocoa street design and home construction; park improvements; SR 520 upgrades, Cocoa High School stadium; tax credits; and funding for new businesses; housing programs and neighborhood revitalization. She is also a member of of the Coalition for Women and Children Issues, the Diversity Group, and a Bible teacher at the Church of Christ on Fiske Boulevard in Rockledge. Recently, she became a member of the Space Coast Onyx Awards Committee where she is a complete asset to the group.

What has Jewel not done? Well, just about every thing, and that's the reason she is much appreciated for her deeds -- her awards prove it. She received the Marjorie Olsen Child Advocacy Award, from the Child Care Association; the Heart of Gold Award, from Florida Today; the Crystal Pyramid Award from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and the Community Service Award from the NAACP.

Jewel has made several friends during her travels abroad. She seems to take sunshine with her no matter where she goes, despite the tragic loss of her son at the young age of 30 years old, she refuses to allow her pain to be exposed. Because of her son's dedication to his church, a scholarship was established in his name. Through it all, Jewel continues to keep on giving. That's the God in her.