FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Friends,

I am honored to address you as we reflect on another successful year for DCWAF. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our Board of Directors, staff, and supporters for their invaluable contributions over the past year. In August, we celebrated by distributing $3 million to 17 charities supporting children in need across Northwest Florida, reaching a total of $35 million in giving since the Foundation’s inception.

The impact we’ve made on children in our community is more evident than ever. DCWAF provides a vital network for our charities to share resources and collaborate on case management. A poignant example is the story of a young man working at Habitat for Humanity’s Restore, who faced homelessness at 18. Within an hour of referral to Caring & Sharing, he secured emergency housing, and later found a home at the DCWAF Opportunity Home, thanks to Children in Crisis. We are also proud to share that he is a recent recipient of the Ellison McCraney Ingram Foundation scholarship, enabling him to pursue his college dreams.

In the fall of 2023, we stood proudly by as Emerald Coast Autism Center opened the doors to their second endeavor, the Emerald Coast Learning Center (ECLC). The ECLC expands the school to serve students following a vocational path with a Transition to Work Program and allows for additional academic classrooms to alleviate the waiting list.

In January of this year, the Point Washington Medical Clinic opened its doors for the first time. Moving from a shared space at Point Washington Methodist Church and a mobile bus to a state-of-the-art building designed to treat the whole patient – in mind, body & spirit. DCWAF is the proud sponsor of the Pediatric Exam Room, and its services rendered. In their first quarter, the clinic saw 296 children. This clinic is and will continue to be a critical resource for referrals from many of our charity partners and their clients.

DCWAF also hosted a sold-out Harvest Wine & Food Festival in WaterColor last fall, in partnership with St. Joe and the beautiful WaterColor Community which played a key role in attracting new wine enthusiasts to our mission. In January, we hosted two Riedel seminars – one in WaterSound and the other in Pensacola; and Chef Holly Peterson joined us from California to host us in an unlikely wine and food pairing with Chef Tim Creehan. In February, the Wilson’s opened their home again to our 3rd Annual Galentine’s event which raised an impressive $90,000 for special projects supporting young women and girls served by our charity partners. Then in April, we kicked off the 19th Annual Destin Charity Wine Auction presented by the Jumonville Family with a marching band! In true form, our Board Chair Jeanne Dailey, maintained our reputation of being “the fun auction” as she kept the enthusiasm high and the bidding spirited, raising an outstanding $3.4 Million.

We are continually humbled by the generosity of our community. I am proud to present this annual report and hope it inspires you as we reflect on another impactful year for DCWAF. As we look ahead to our 20th anniversary, we understand there is still much work to be done to ensure that every child in our community thrives. Thank you to all who contributed and to our staff, whose tireless efforts make it all possible.

With gratitude,

Karah Fridley-Young
President
Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

 Dear Friends,

As we conclude the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation’s first 19 years, we are excited to celebrate the more than $35,000,000 we’ve made in donations to local non-profits. We proudly stand together knowing the impact we’ve made supporting children in need in Northwest Florida. Children’s lives have been changed for the better due to the hard work and generosity of our board members, staff, volunteers, winemakers, chefs, patrons and sponsors.

As we turn the page on a new era with the retirement of longtime Charity Relations Committee Chair Bob Gelardi, we’re reminded of his dedication and leadership, which created the framework for our foundational success. His insight and guidance in establishing benchmarks for financial management, and volunteer and charity expectations was invaluable. By creating clear operational guidelines and a spirit of cooperation, Bob helped support the achievement of the DCWAF goals, while also uniting the charity partners who now share resources and knowledge to achieve greater results.

This year’s focus was on creating sustainability for the next 20 years to solidify the future of the organization and the charities we support for generations to come. By creating programs for strong board engagement, building up the Legacy Society, and growing the Jumonville Children’s Fund, we have been able to make great progress toward our goal.

By leveraging each board member’s time, talent, and treasures in the most productive and effective ways, we were able to grow our reach and enhance our impact. In addition, the Legacy Society Committee made strides this year working to expand the program to sustain DCWAF’s core mission through wills, trusts, insurance, and lifetime donations. Our continued focus on the growth of the Jumonville Children’s Fund allowed us to increase our reserves, which are available to any charity partner who has an imminent need.

It is through the hardworking dedicated staff, our philanthropic board of directors with big hearts, and our generous patrons that we were able to achieve such great success this year. Through these achievements, we’ve made progress in all our endeavors, which allow our charity partners to focus on creating life-changing initiatives for children in need in our community.

Cheers,

Jeanne Dailey
Chairman of the Board
Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation

Memorable Moments

The live auction kicked off with DCWAF’s flagship Magnum Force lot featuring 50 magnums from vintners past and present that raised $55,000. The highest single-selling lot of the afternoon was a trip to Anguilla for five nights that sold for $100,000 followed by a Rolling Stones concert experience complete with a private jet that sold for $65,000.
Other notable lots included a five-night trip to the Cayman Cookout and a seven-night trip to Virgin Gorda that sold twice for a total of $110,000 each, and a buy-a-seat James Bond-themed dinner hosted in partnership with the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa and 2024 Honorary Chef Fleetwood Covington, III that raised $69,750.