D
estin Charity Wine Auction Foundation
(DCWAF) held their 12th Annual check
presentation on August 22 at the Water Color
Lake House in Santa Rosa Beach. Founded in
2005, and recognized as one of the nation’s Top 10 Charity
Wine Auction in the U.S. by Wine Spectator Magazine for
the last five consecutive years, it is currently ranked as the
third largest charity wine auction in the country.
The DCWAF has donated more than $15 million to
Northwest Florida Charities by hosting world class wine
and Culinary events. These funds have impacted the lives
of over 90,000 youth, including those afflicted by health
issues and abuse.
For 2017, with a $40,000 increase over last year’s
donations, Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation
donated $2.7 million to 15 benefiting children’s charities,
including: AMIkids Emerald Coast, ($120,000), The
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast ($200,000),
Children in Crisis ($225,000), Children’s Volunteer
Health Network (CVHN) ($225,000 to fund and serve
underinsured and uninsured children in need of dental
care), Emerald Coast Autism Center ($200,000), The
Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center ($225,000),
Food for Thought Outreach ($240,000), and Habitat for
Humanity of Walton County ($150,000 to fully fund the
building of two new homes for families with children in
Walton County). Mental Health Association of Okaloosa
and Walton Counties Is DCWAF’s newest beneficiary and
received $10,000 to fund “The Brain Health Initiative”
geared toward early identification, assessment and
treatment for students ages 12 to 21 who experience mental
health or substance abuse issues. Other beneficiaries
were Opportunity Place ($85,000 for immediate housing
for homeless children and their families), Pathways for
Change ($170,000 for comprehensive addiction treatment
programs including men’s residential treatment and
operations for the family center), Sacred Heart Hospital
on the Emerald Coast ($225,000 to fund a 10-bed, Level
II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), Shelter House of
Northwest Florida ($170,000 to fund support groups,
counseling, and advocacy for youth touched by domestic
violence, and funding and will also support their Youth
Prevention Program and the Youth Community Action
Team), The Arc of the Emerald Coast ($200,000 to support
Early Intervention and Family Education Programs
at the Early Intervention Center for children living
with disabilities), and Youth Village ($100,000 to fund
afterschool programming for low-income children along
the Emerald Coast).
With dates announced, the community is already
gearing up for next year’s Destin Charity Auction weekend
scheduled for April 27-29, 2018.
story and photos by
Zhalman Harris
Tracy Conerly & Yvonne Freeman
C
HECK
P
RESENTATION
VIP Destin at the Water Color Lake House
62 | VIPDestinMagazine.com
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