By Kate Mikos
Each spring, wine lovers with a lot of heart gather together during the last weekend in April for the Destin Charity Wine Auction. Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF), one of the nation’s premier fundraising organizations located in the Florida panhandle, has a mission of connecting wine enthusiasts to raise money benefiting children in need in Northwest Florida. Since its inception in 2005, DCWAF has donated an impressive $21 million dollars impacting the lives of almost 100,000 children including those afflicted by health issues and abuse. How does one connect wine enthusiasts to raise money for a good cause? DCWAF has found the most successful way to enliven the generosity of its supporters is to produce world-class wine and culinary events that encourage patrons to raise both their glasses and their paddles.
Currently ranked #4 on Wine Spectator’s list of ‘Top Charity Wine Auctions in the U.S.’ for the second consecutive year, the annual Destin Charity Wine Auction is the Foundation’s signature event. A beautiful three-day event held the last weekend in April each year, the auction provides attendees a weekend filled with exclusive wines and excellent food from a variety of celebrity chefs all in the name of charity.
At the Foundation’s recent annual check presentation, a record-breaking $3 million was donated to DCWAF’s 16 benefiting charities including AMIkids Emerald Coast, Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, Children in Crisis, Inc., Children’s Volunteer Health Network, Emerald Coast Autism Center, Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center, Food for Thought Outreach, Inc., Habitat for Humanity of Walton County, Mental Health Association of Okaloosa and Walton Counties, Opportunity Place, Inc., Pathways for Change, Sacred Heart Hospital of the Emerald Coast, Shelter House of Northwest Florida, The Arc of the Emerald Coast, Westonwood Ranch and Youth Village.
Throughout its 14-year lifespan, DCWAF has not only impacted the lives of children through its fundraising, but also in the family-like network it creates amongst its benefiting charities that promotes the sharing of resources and partnered programming. Charities that once competed for the same dollars have found themselves working together to build a larger network that can serve their clients in multi-faceted ways. Children from Youth Village and AMIKids visit Food for Thought’s Full Circle Kitchen to learn how to cook affordable and sustainable meals for themselves on a budget, while Shelter House visits Boys and Girls Clubs to teach their students about healthy relationships. Children’s Volunteer Health Network, which provides free dental care to under or uninsured children, sends its mobile dental clinic to Children in Crisis, Youth Village, and a variety of other DCWAF charity locations. This is just a small sampling of the different ways DCWAF’s benefiting charities work together to ensure that the needs of children in the local community are met.
DCWAF invites all those with a philanthropic heart to the upcoming Harvest Wine & Food Festival October 24-26 in WaterColor. To purchase tickets or patron packages for the auction beginning Nov. 1, visit dcwaf.org.
