Mark your calendars!

Gala – Friday – March 8 – 5 p.m.

   Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa

Golf – Saturday – March 9 – Noon

   Kelly Plantation Golf Club

The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) is putting on its annual signature Gala & Golf Weekend this year, presented by Peggy and Jerry Swanson. The Gala starts with a cocktail hour at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 8, at the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa.  Guests will enjoy dinner and music by popular DJ Josh Woeckener; live auction by famed auctioneer DawnMarie Kotsonis, also known as The Gavel Girl; as well as a featured guest speaker. The Gala is an energetic, yet important ECCAC fundraiser to benefit children by providing services at no cost to help identify, treat and support child victims in abusive situations.

The Golf Tournament, also to benefit ECCAC, will take place on Saturday, March 9, at Kelly Plantation Golf Club with registration and a cookout meal from 10:30 to 11:45 a.m.  Then golfers will do a tournament shot gun start at noon. An awards ceremony will follow the tournament. Golf tournament cost is $1,000 for 4 players. Tables of 10 for the Gala are $2,500, individual tickets are $500 per couple. Sponsorships are still available. Please make reservations on-line at www.eccac.org,   or contact Madison Lewis at 850-400-3488, Extension 241, email, Madison@eccac.org.   

The Soiree Emerald Gala

March 14 & 15, 2025

Returning for its fourth year with an over-the-top twentieth-anniversary twist, CVHN’s “Soiree on the Bay” will become the Soiree Emerald Gala for 2025! Join the organization at the beautiful Dugas Estate on Choctawhatchee Bay both Friday and Saturday, March 14 & 15, for an unforgettable evening of fundraising and celebration amid centuries-old live oak trees, bayside breezes, and good spirits.

The event features vintners and craft spirits from around the world, creating a tasting experience like no other as guests mingle, sip, and savor delicious bites provided by Café Thirty-A. Silent and live auctions will include unforgettable experiences, with special guest auctioneer Mike Hoss—the “voice of the New Orleans Saints” as the team’s play-by-play announcer—bringing the energy and fun to the live auction on Friday night under the tent.

Saturday afternoon’s bocce ball tournament has been a crowd favorite during Soiree on the Bay for the past three years, as teams compete to see who will take home bragging rights and have their names commemorated in CVHN history. Meanwhile, gather beneath the live oaks and get ready to dance to music by the Tip Tops Band, a jazzy group out of Mobile, Alabama. Branded as one of the top party bands in the South, their mix of Motown, soul, funk, and pop never fails to get guests out on the floor.

“CVHN is so thrilled not only to be presenting our fourth annual Soiree on the Bay event but also to celebrate our twentieth anniversary in style as we turn it into a Soiree Emerald Gala this year!” says executive director Megan Trent. “Being part of this incredible organization has been one of the great honors of my life. The people who support us and our team of amazing dental professionals, staff, and volunteers are nothing short of heroes who do everything they can to help the children and families in our community. Thank you to everyone who has donated their money, time, and energy to CVHN over the past twenty years—we couldn’t do this without you, and we hope you’ll all come to celebrate with us at the gala in March!”

The organization shares its twentieth birthday with another fantastic area nonprofit, the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation (DCWAF). This entity also works tirelessly year-round to support various children’s charities in Northwest Florida, including CVHN. DCWAF will host its anniversary auction weekend April 25–27, 2025, with a curation of wine dinners, auctions, tastings, and more.

Stay tuned as details unfold and more sponsors join the party for these incredible weekends!

For more information on these and future events or volunteer opportunities, visit CVHNkids.org or call (850) 622-3200. For more updates, follow CVHN on Facebook and Instagram (@cvhnkids05).