The Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation’s mission is to connect wine enthusiasts to raise money for children in need. Through our benefiting charities, the proceeds raised by the Foundation provide financial support and give hope to at-risk children, including those afflicted by health issues and abuse.
The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center mission is to prevent child abuse, protect children, and restore lives. The Center houses a team of professionals dedicated to improving the lives of sexually or physically abused children in Okaloosa and Walton Counties. At the Children’s Advocacy Center, child victims and their families receive therapy at no cost from Master’s Level Licensed Mental Health Counselors. Our Case Advocate facilitates the work of agency partners from the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF), the Child Protection Team (CPT), the State Attorney’s Office (SAO), and local law enforcement bureaus.
The Children’s Advocacy Center building, constructed in 2000 with grass roots support from donors in both counties, is located in a residential neighborhood in Niceville. The child friendly Center has the look and feel of a favorite Grandma’s house. Wide porches hold rocking chairs, flowers bloom in the garden, the living room overflows with toys and games, and chocolate chip cookies bake in the kitchen. Since the Center brings together the agency partners under one roof, sexually or physically abused children are no longer shuffled from one institutional building to another, often forced to retell and relive the abuse they endured. Child victims can now come to a warm, safe kid-friendly place where there are people who will help restore their only childhood.
» Visit the Children's Advocacy Center website
» Make a donation
Children In Crisis, Inc. is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), charitable organization of caring people working together to provide homes and establish hope to the foster children of our community. In a perfect world, we would have enough voluntary foster and shelter care homes in Okaloosa and Walton Counties to meet our growing needs. Unfortunately, there is a severe shortage of foster homes and one-in-four children are placed in a home that is over-capacity. This causes siblings to be separated, children to be placed out of their county and moved from foster home to foster home, three to four times per year. Additionally, our community doesn’t have an emergency shelter for abused and neglected foster children. Thanks to your generous support, we are building a Children’s Neighborhood with an emergency shelter, four foster homes, a neighborhood center and a recreation center. This will provide a stable, nurturing home for our children in a local neighborhood setting that will address their emotional, physical and special needs. This is a community challenge and with your continued support, together we will make a difference in the life of a child.
» Visit the Children In Crisis website
» Make a donation
Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast is a 58-bed hospital located in Miramar Beach, Florida. Since opening its doors to patient care in January 2003, the not-for-profit hospital has grown steadily and continues to fulfill its mission to improve the health of the community at large, with special attention to service of the poor. Founded by the Daughters of Charity, we are called to provide healthcare that works, healthcare that is safe, and healthcare leaves no one behind, which is why our highly trained physicians and staff are dedicated to providing high quality, compassionate care to all.
Money raised will support the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation Children’s Health & Wellness Fund at Sacred Heart Hospital on the Emerald Coast. The goal of this program is to end the episodic care children receive in the ER by helping families navigate the health system and connect with local, state and federal resources available for follow-up and routine health care. The program’s dedicated pediatric social worker will facilitate the continuity of care for children who present to the hospital, mainly through the ER, who are underprivileged, abused, or financially and emotionally poor. This much-needed program will help create synergy between Sacred Heart and various community resources focused on helping children in need.
Sacred Heart is honored to partner with the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation on raising the level of care available to all children in our community. Our leaders of tomorrow deserve the best care today.
» Visit the Sacred Heart Foundation website
» Make a donation
The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation is a pro-active partner in education through All Kinds of Art to provide resources for students to explore their interests and develop their talent in the arts. This educational outreach program reaches thousands of students in Okaloosa and Walton Counties annually to bring art enrichment through the literary, performing and visual arts with live touring performances, after school and summer camp programs. The Foundation reaches at-risk students and provides scholarship assistance to financially disadvantaged students. All Kinds of Art was awarded the Florida Commissioner of Education Award of Distinction by the Florida Department of Education and is endorsed through grant funding by the Florida Arts Council, Southern Arts Federation and the National Endowment of the Arts. Art education has been proven to make a positive difference in academic scoring and self-esteem. The future Mattie Kelly Cultural Arts Village will serve as a cultural magnet for young artists in our community.
» Visit the Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation website
» Make a donation
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Cystic fibrosis is a devastating, life-shortening disease caused by a defective gene and its protein product, which result in the body producing unusually thick, sticky mucus. The mucus clogs the lungs and leads to life-threatening lung infections, and also obstructs the pancreas and stops natural enzymes from helping the body break down and absorb food. To treat (and eventually cure) a complex genetic disease like CF, therapeutic research must address both the symptoms of the disease and its causes by targeting problems in the airways and the digestive system.
The CF Foundation’s mission is to assure the development of the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis and to improve the quality of life for those with the disease. The CF Foundation has tirelessly pursued this mission through three primary approaches: (1) establishing, accrediting and funding comprehensive health facilities, including the Nemours Children’s Clinic Pensacola, that provide specialized medical care for those with CF; (2) supporting a wide range of medical research to find potentially lifesaving new therapies and ultimately, a cure; and (3) raising the necessary funds to support this care and research. With proceeds from the Destin Wine Auction, children in the Walton County and Destin area will benefit from a team of specialists in addition to the educational and financial counseling they need to cope with a disease of this magnitude.
» Visit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation website
» Make a donation
Youth Village, Inc. is a 501(C)3 charitable organization formed in 1999 to create a safe place to provide various educational and recreational services during non-school hours to the children of our community. Thus far, our after-school program and summer camp has served over 500 children.
Statistics show that the majority of juvenile offenses occur between the hours of 2:00pm-6:00pm during the school year and also during the summer months when children are most likely to be left at home alone while their parents are working. Thanks to the generous support of organizations such as the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation, we are able to continue to provide academic, recreational and artistic services geared towards keeping these children occupied, active and productive during these non-school hours. Our vision is to see our children grow into responsible, self-sufficient adults by providing them with the tools needed to help them develop constructive practices and goals. We firmly believe that “it takes a village to raise a child.”
» Visit the Youth Village website
» Make a donation
Children’s Volunteer Health Network, Inc. is a group of concerned citizens, families and volunteers in Walton and Okaloosa Counties who have come together to address the healthcare crisis of the uninsured and underinsured children in our area. This is a calling for us and we consider it a privilege to be able to help.
We are a faith-based, 501(c)3 organization with a mission to enhance the lives of uninsured and underinsured school-aged children by facilitating free immediate access to medical, dental and mental healthcare so that all children have the opportunity to be healthy and reach their potential. Since our inception in 2005, we have facilitated over 1700 healthcare appointments for more than 450 Walton and Okaloosa County school children relying on the generosity of our 80+ volunteer healthcare providers.
In response to the crisis we have witnessed in our kid’s dental health, our newest initiative is the Just for Grins mobile dental clinic which will provide 1100 elementary school children on the free and reduced lunch programs preventive dental care and education. We aim to transition underserved children from painful and expensive dental treatment to cost-effective preventive dental care.
» Visit the Children's Volunteer Health Network website
» Make a donation
Brilliant Minds is a non profit, 501(c)(3) organization, founded to lead the struggle against the effects of neurodevelopmental disabilities such as Autism, ADHD and Down Syndrome. The prevalence of Autism has increased drastically. Years ago it occurred in 1 in 10,000 children, while today, Autism affects 1 in 150 children (1 in 90 boys). Currently, a child is being diagnosed with Autism every 4 hours.
Brilliant Minds implements the practices of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which is the most scientifically empirically validated evidence based treatment known today. Without valid treatment, children with Autism do not develop like their typical peers and are unable to learn naturally from their environment. In our programs, children with neurodevelopmental disabilities are taught how to effectively communicate, play, socialize, and function, and this is achieved by teaching through motivation and using precise teaching techniques within a fun learning environment!
Unfortunately very few insurances cover for the type of intervention that we provide. It’s in our hearts at Brilliant Minds to reach out to all of those “other” kids who are not given the chance of effective intervention because of their family’s financial situation. Thanks to your generous support, we can provide valid treatment to children in desperate need of intensive therapy.
» Visit the Brilliant Minds website
» Make a donation
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