The Rotary Club of Mid-Bay Bridge (Choctawhatchee Bay) Installs Valerie Holmes as its
34th President
Mid-Bay held its installation dinner at the Rocky Bayou Country Club June 24, 2026. The ceremonies included Mid-Bay’s tradition of “Passing the President’s Gavel” where Mid-Bay Past Presidents starting with 1st President Bert Melnick “passed the gavel” to Rotary Year 2026-2027 and 34th President Valerie Holmes.
District 6940 Area Governor (Area 4) Samma Brannon administered the President’s Pledge to President Valerie.
During the installation dinner, Mid-Bay’s 2025-2026 President John Sallman recognized Rotarian Art Jean as Mid-Bay’s Rotarian of the Year, Rotarian Tom Sanders as recipient of the President’s Award, and Rotarian Jim Wells as recipient of the Service Above Self Award.
President John presented his Mid-Bay Board Member/Officers and Directors with cutting boards with Rotary logo inscribed on them in remembrance of how fellow Rotarians cooked for Mid-Bay’s Annual Pork Butt Roast for Polio Plus. The club presented John a summary book of his presidency which included Mid-Bay highlights, meeting bulletins, and photos of Mid-Bay Rotarians and the traditional gavel plaque.
Guests included District Governor Andre Boyd, Past District Governor Jan Pooley, and Mid-Bay Rotarian and Past District Governor Dave Rauch. Crestview Rotary President Phil Berezo also attended. Very special guests included President Valerie’s and First Gentleman Harry’s daughter Kira Vasquez and granddaughters Hailey, Hannah and Isabella. Satellite Club Founder Dave Underwood represented the Freeport Satellite Club.
Niceville Republican Women Federated presented 2 Scholarships in 2026:
2026 graduates Layla Hughes of Niceville High School and Katerina Price of Baker High School each received scholarships from Niceville Republican Women Federated (NRWF). They met members at the June meeting and read their essays on “Why I Am a Republican”. Layla will be attending Lindsey Wilson University and Katerina will be attending the University of West Florida. NRWF meets the first Monday of the month at Blue Tee Restaurant in BWB at 5:15pm (Social) and 6:00pm (Dinner). For more information about NRWF please contact President Michele Shuler at nicevillerepublicanwf@gmail.com or 253 709-0106 (L-R: Lana Wood, NRWF President Michele Shuler, Jane Stevens, Katerina Price, Layla Hughes, Diana Gilbert, and Lourdes Adams)
Okaloosa County CORE Network Recognized for Substance Abuse Efforts with $200,000
The Florida Department of Children and Families recently announced that Okaloosa County was one of 10 counties to receive a one-time performance incentive of $200,000 for exceptional efforts in the Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) Network.
CORE Network success requires a collaborative effort from healthcare providers, behavioral health organizations, emergency medical services, hospitals, law enforcement, peer specialists, recovery community organizations, and other community stakeholders.
“Okaloosa County Community Paramedics, along with our community partners, have achieved incredible results with their efforts,” said Okaloosa County Board Chairman Trey Goodwin. “This recognition is well-deserved and will go toward improving the lives of many other people in our community who suffer from addiction.”
The funds will be used to continue expansion, enhancement, and sustainability of the network’s infrastructure, partnerships, and coordinated system of care.
Okaloosa County, in partnership with the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County, announced the formation of the CORE Network in 2024 using funds from opioid settlements. Since that time, the CORE Network in Okaloosa County helped expand detoxification services 24/7 at Bridgeway Center Inc., the formation of the Community Paramedicine Program and the Post Overdose Support Team (POST).
These efforts have saved lives and helped individuals in Okaloosa County battling addiction. Successes include (Since July 2024):
- 15,823 doses of NARCAN distributed.
- 53% down in fatal overdoses.
- 729 of contacts made by POST following overdose, with 224 enrolled in a treatment program.
