Palm Beacher Annie Cardelus Jones gets joy from volunteering
M.M. Cloutier
Love of family, tradition and the spirit of giving back explains why Palm Beacher Annie Cardelus Jones’ kitchen becomes a part-time bakery, of sorts, at this time of year.
Thousands of Christmas cookies — yes, thousands — emerge from the oven through November and December.
Sure, life can be busy for a mother — of five adult children — with business interests and a roster of community activities, but the holiday season also calls for baking all of these holiday cookies.
Family, friends and neighbors are among those who enjoy them as “my way of saying I appreciate you,” Cardelus Jones, 55, told the Daily News. “I grew up making Christmas cookies during the holiday season. It’s been a joy for years and I love giving them.”
One of her recipes is in a cookie cookbook that was for sale at the Garden Club of Palm Beach’s Nov. 9 and 10 Christmas Boutique.
More:Island Life: Profiles of folks who celebrate Palm Beach living
Cardelus Jones, a Midtown resident, co-chaired the boutique, a fundraiser for an organization dedicated to public service since it sponsored the town’s first master plan in 1929.
It’s one of several ways Cardelus Jones has been a committed volunteer for nonprofits important to her — from the Lord’s Place (helping to end homelessness in Palm Beach County) to the Cox Science Center (fostering science education) and Red Sneakers for Oakley (raising awareness about life-threatening allergies).
“Palm Beach is such a warm and inviting place where a spirit of giving back supports volunteering,” Cardelus Jones told the Daily News. “It’s just a part of my life here with family.”
With her husband Timothy “Tim” Jones, she moved to Palm Beach more than a decade ago from Westchester County, New York. They share five children ages 24 to 41. Tim, a longtime real estate developer, investor and entrepreneur, is managing partner of the Tesoro Club, a waterfront gated golf-club community just west of the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie.
Cardelus Jones, whose childhood included living for periods of time in Spain and Argentina as the daughter of a Spanish international businessman, is a board member of the…
