DCWAF Raises $106,000 at the 4th Annual Galentines Day Fundraiser
Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF), one of the nation’s leading fundraising organizations, is pleased to announce that the 4th Annual Galentine’s Day Fundraiser raised a record-breaking $106,000 for young women in need in Northwest Florida.
Hosted on Saturday, February 1 by DCWAF trustee Candis Wilson and DCWAF board members Tiffany Edwards, Jeanne Dailey, and Lane Redding, the event brought influential women in the community together to support one another while raising money for programs designed to empower young girls through the Foundation’s 17 partner children's charities. Led by dynamic keynote speaker and comedian, Stacy Pederson, all individuals and businesses affiliated with the production of the event are female owned and operated.
DCWAF would like to thank the following sponsors for generously supporting the event:
Presenting: Joan Carter, Jeanne Dailey, and Lane Redding
Cocktail: Barker Williams Attorneys at Law
Dessert: The Queen of Flavor
Ruby: Frances Roy Agency, Grand Boulevard
Sweetheart: MCB Foundation, Tiffany Edwards, and Crystal Spencer
The funds raised at this year’s Galentine’s Day Fundraiser will benefit the following charity initiatives:
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast:
A 10-week, small group program focused on health, fitness, prevention, education, and self-esteem enhancement through dynamic sessions, activities, field trips, and mentoring opportunities with adult women projected to serve 200 girls and S.T.E.M. based field trips for approximately 60 girls across nine Club sites.
Caring & Sharing of South Walton:
Funds to provide full hygiene kits including toothbrushes, deodorant, tampons, cleaning wipes, and more for approximately 225 girls ages 10-18 that are experiencing several new body changes without the resources to help navigate them.
Children in Crisis:
A Once in a Blue Moon Gala for the girls at the Children’s Neighborhood to give them the opportunity to dress up and experience an evening of fun while focusing on self-worth and affirmation.
Children’s Volunteer Health Network:
The Smiles for the Future program designed to educate young girls on the importance of proper dental hygiene while building self-care habits and boosting confidence. Built for roughly 400 participants, Smiles for the Future will bring mothers and daughters together for a fun-filled day focused on education, community, bonding, and empowerment.
Emerald Coast Autism Center:
A 12-week program that focuses on small group training classes for female-specific, age-appropriate topics, such as tolerating hygiene habits like hair brushing (for younger students), puberty and menstruation education (for tween and early teen students), and self-advocacy in the workplace (for Transition to Work students).
Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center:
Providing clothing and gift cards for young girls following the trauma of a sexual assault exam. Many do not know that the clothes worn during an assault are collected as evidence during the exam. Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center provides victims with not only clothes to wear home, but a gift card to purchase new items that are not associated with assault in the hopes that the victim may create a new memory and regain a sense of control over his or her life.
Habitat for Humanity of Walton County:
The Women Build Initiatives in Okaloosa and Walton counties will educate, advocate, and promote awareness to over 250 women and girls in our community. They will reach these women and girls through their Hard Hats and High Heels Luncheon, power tool training, construction educational classes, and onsite construction skill training throughout the year.
Point Washington Medical Clinic:
The Young Women’s Health and Hygiene Initiative will provide pathology for PAP smears, additional testing needed for positive results, HPV vaccinations, and feminine hygiene products for girls under the age of 18.
Westonwood Ranch:
A year of Equine Assisted Therapy to young girls in their program with developmental differences. Equine Assisted Therapy has several physical, mental, and emotional benefits to include increased empathy, self-discipline and impulse control, and the ability to bond and build trusting relationships.
Youth Village:
A Galentine’s Camp for 12 girls ages 8-12 in partnership with HSU Educational Foundation. The two-week, project-based experimental learning program will focus on S.T.E.M. skills and conclude with a field trip to the HSU STEM Range in Laurel Hill for lunch, a demonstration, certificate presentation, and closing ceremony.