DCWAF 2022 Check Presentation

The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF), announced it has donated more than $28 million to help children in need in Northwest Florida since its inception in 2005.

This year alone, DCWAF donated $3.775 million to 16 children’s charities in Northwest Florida following the highest grossing auction in Foundation history. 

Funding was awarded in a private check presentation ceremony at the Henderson Beach Resort August 31. The total amount donated by DCWAF includes a surprise, late donation by local philanthropist, Ryan Jumonville. The Jumonville Family’s donation brings DCWAF’s gross auction revenue to a record-breaking $4 million.

The 2022 recipients of Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation funds include:

AMIkids Emerald Coast received $145,000 to fund a GED program for at risk students between the ages of 16 – 24.

Ascension Sacred Heart Emerald Coast received $200,000 to fund a new CT scanner to help diagnose and accurately treat pediatric patients in the Emergency Department.

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast received $200,000 to allow 250 students from low-income households to attend programming for one full year. The programming is designed to provide unique opportunities to learn, grow, and recognize youth for their achievements in an effort to steer them clear of personal failure.

Children in Crisis received $200,000 to fund the facilitation of housing for abused, neglected, and abandoned children. On-site housing provides stability, shelter, house parents, food, clothing, and necessary items to help children live a safe and healthy lifestyle over the next year.

Children’s Volunteer Health Network received $200,000 to fund and serve underinsured and uninsured children in need of dental care. These funds will allow for hygienists and staff on the Mobile Dental Clinic, the Healthcare Referral Network, and dental supplies for the Mobile Clinic to assist with children in need of dental care.

Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation received $140,000 to fund scholarships for teens that have received help from at least one DCWAF charity partner in their lifetime.

Emerald Coast Autism Center received $250,000 to support the ECAC Phase II Learning Center Capital Campaign which will provide a new building for teens entering the Transition to Work program, and in turn allow the Autism Center more space on their primary campus to serve young children on the spectrum in need of behavioral therapy.  

Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center received $325,000 to support mental health therapy program, the case advocacy program that facilitates a child-friendly atmosphere offering counseling, family services, and coordination of investigations for child abuse and neglect, and the prevention program that that educate and empower students and all relevant adults with information and strategies to prevent, recognize, and respond appropriately to all types of child abuse and exploitation.

Food for Thought Outreach received $200,000 to fund food and other supplies
for their Backpack and In-School Snack Programs available to over 3,400 students receiving free or reduced lunch, and Holiday Services, offered at each pantry location to supplement the needs of families struggling with food insecurity.

Habitat for Humanity of Walton County received $250,000 to fund one new home for a family in Walton County and the infrastructure of Hope Village including roadwork, power lines, and utility taps.

Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties received $150,000 to fund the Brain Health Program geared toward early identification, assessment, and treatment for approximately 25 uninsured students ages 12 to 21 who experience mental health or substance abuse issues.

Opportunity Place, Inc. received $165,000 to fund immediate housing for homeless children and their families to ensure they are safe and secure. These funds will facilitate a variety of child services including child-centered case management support, literacy program, shelter services, child and family assistance, and enrichment activities.

Shelter House of Northwest Florida received $175,000 to fund mental health play therapy, counseling, and advocacy for youth affected by domestic violence as well as childcare, and other program supplies.

The Arc of the Emerald Coast received $200,000 to fund the renovation of their facility warehouse into an after-school program center for children living with developmental differences.

Westonwood Ranch received $275,000 for scholarships for individuals with developmental differences to include the Part-Time Job Skills Program as well as funding their micro business programs and cottage expansion project.

Youth Village received $200,000 to fund program operations and scholarships for
children from low-income households to attend their
VPK and after-school programs as well as the renovation of two outdoor play areas.

Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club Renovation of the Year

Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club was recognized in the Renovation of the Year competition in Golf Inc. Magazine’s July issue. This distinguished publication is for golf course developers and operators worldwide and their Renovation of the Year competition seeks to identify the best renovated
golf venues each year. 

Golf Inc.’s esteemed judges chose the winners for the Renovation of the Year competition through a blind judging process, where they reviewed comprehensive packages without logos or names to avoid bias. Winners were selected based on how well the project realized the vision of the development team, as well as course aesthetics, environmental and economic sustainability, among other factors. In the private course category, five winners were chosen. Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club was named among those five as an honorable mention. 

The recognition highlighted Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club’s $3.8 million course renovation, completed in October 2021. The architect behind this renovation was Bergin Golf Designs, Inc. and was brought to life by the construction team at Medalist Golf. Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club’s Golf Maintenance Team, led by Kelly Barker, also played an integral role in this project.  Throughout the course of this project, several mechanical needs of the golf course were addressed, including new greens, bunkers, tees, and drainage. Since the original course was narrow and overgrown, many improvements were made to the aesthetic elements of the property. 

“The golf course epitomizes my belief that golf should basically be an ebb and flow between challenging holes and opportunities to score,” said architect
Bill Bergin. 

The renovation aimed to work with the natural terrain and landscape by creating dunes with appropriate vegetation. Maintainability was a key focus of this renovation and even adjusted the cart path to reduce turf damage. 

“The goals of the renovation and the bottom line far exceeded what anyone could have dreamed possible for Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club. 

From person to person, we had hopes that the renovations would be a milestone renovation for the club for future generations of our club,” said General Manager, Michael Bickett. 

Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club’s new design provides a challenge for the most skilled golfers, but is also approachable for the recreational player. The new design added about an acre to the current greens complexes, which made room for more holes and a more dispersed traffic pattern.

Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic

Taking place in one of the most productive fisheries in the United States, timed to coincide with the peak of the Gulf Coast’s blue marlin season and located at the South’s number-one ranked resort destination, the Emerald Coast Blue Marlin Classic at Sandestin® (ECBC) has set the precedent for world-class sportfishing tournaments. This annual event offers angling teams deep blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, red-hot billfish action, and cool green cash. While onshore, both tournament participants and their families can enjoy a variety of recreational activities offered at the Sandestin® Golf and Beach Resort and The Village of Baytowne Wharf. The spectacular night time weigh-ins, held at the Baytowne Marina at Sandestin, are free and open to the public. 

Named as one of the top ten big-money tournaments in the world by Marlin magazine, the ECBC’s cash awards surpass $2 million – and with over 27 optional entry levels, there are plenty of ways to win a piece of the pie. 

The ECBC is a “modified-release” tournament in which blue marlin are the only billfish that may be weighed. Release points are awarded for blue marlin, white marlin, sailfish and spearfish. The three heaviest weighed blue marlin, dolphin, tuna and wahoo are eligible for cash awards, as are the top three teams in the Release Division and the top three in the Crew Division. Awards are presented to the top overall, release, lady and junior anglers. The top overall release team has its name engraved on the Magnificent Blue Perpetual Trophy, donated by Galati Yacht Sales and Viking Yachts, sculpted by Chris Barela and on permanent display at the Marina Bar & Grill. 

Summer Haze Music Fest

On August 21, 2022, North Beach Social was the place to be! Summer Haze Music Fest was back for the second year and nine of SoWal’s favorite bands rocked the house all day long. With performances by Electric Duck Phat, Queen’s Ransom, Boukou Groove, Big Phun, The Iceman Special, and more, we celebrated all the great music SoWal has to offer. 
The day wasn’t just an amazing concert, it was also a fundraiser for Alaqua Animal Refuge. In addition to the music, Summer Haze had a live auction! Robby Amonett very generously donated a live painting of each performance, and Driftwood Guitars donated a custom electric guitar for the event
Summer Haze Winter Fest is on November 19, 2022, at Distillery 98 & Idyll Hounds benefiting the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center. Acts will include The Cosmic Rascals, Hunter & Tony, Chris Alvarado Trio, The Neon Tears, and more! Similar to last year, there will be food trucks and a Sip & Shop with local art vendors. For more information about vendor & sponsorship opportunities, or purchase tickets, please email info@southernsoundalliance.com or visit:
www.southernsoundalliance.com/summer-haze-music-festival

Summer Soiree and Ribbon Cutting

Hand Arendall Harrison Sale and Emerald Coast Title Services celebrate their recent move in
Santa Rosa Beach with a Summer Soirée.
The two companies posed the question, what should we do to celebrate the opening of our new location? Answers were many but at the top of the list was host a party for all their clients, friends, neighbors and chamber members with frozen drinks and cool tunes to beat the heat. Hancock Whitney co-sponsored the event, which also served as the Walton Area Chamber’s Business After Hours and as dual ribbon cutting ceremony hosted by the Walton Area Chamber and Destin Chamber.
The event was very well attended by guests along the southern coastal region from Panama City, FL to Mobile, AL. “We moved, we invited and they came. It’s been great to have the support of our other seven law offices and title company but we also count the community, chamber, client and fellow business support as part of our foundational growth here in Walton and Okaloosa counties,” states HAHS Partner/Member and ECTS President, Dion Moniz. 
The law firm and title company outgrew their previous offices at Redfish Village and moved to their new offices this summer at the corner of HWY 98 and County Road 393.  Although, corporate and individual legal work and real estate title work can be accomplished from anywhere, the idea behind the new place was location, location, location for clients, friends, businesses and the future growth for the two companies.

Dermatology Specialists And Aqua Medical Spa Watersound Origins Grand Opening

Dermatology Specialists of Florida recently held an open house to celebrate the opening of their new Watersound Origins Office. The Walton Area Chamber of Commerce and its ambassadors along with guests joined the welcoming staff for their official ribbon cutting followed by refreshments and a chance for attendees to tour the facility.  

This  new 5,000-square-foot state-of-the-art office, located in Watersound Town Center at 75 Origins Main Street, has been designed to house medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatology services along with the physician-supervised medical spa, Aqua Medical Spa. This expansion if part of Dermatology Specialists of Florida’s continuing commitment to provide comprehensive dermatology care to all of the communities it serves. 

The team making this all possible is led by Certified Registered Nurse Practitioner Angela Pearson, along with an aesthetician and Dr. Jon Ward, Board-Certified Dermatologist and Board-Certified Mohs Surgeon.