ROSEMARY THYMES | 10
Rosemary Beach Foundation
Nonprofit Unites The Local Community With Fun Events That Benefit Charities Close To Home BY ABIGAIL ABESAMIS
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N THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA IN 2005, a few Rosemary Beach homeowners decided to have a benefit concert, “Tunes for the Dunes” to support the American Red Cross. The event was a success, and the Rosemary Beach Foundation was born. Since then, the Rosemary Beach Foundation has donated more than $800,000 to local organizations, schools and hurricane recovery efforts. From a girls' getaway weekend to an educational arts initiative, the Foundation's activities continue to attract residents and visitors in a spirit of giving.
GIRLS GETAWAY The Foundation's longestrunning event, Girls Getaway occurs every Super Bowl weekend. The 15th annual celebration, which benefitted Sacred Heart Hospital’s Family Birth Place neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) featured HGTV designer, Vern Yip, visual artist, Allison Wickey and songwriter, Jessie Ritter. Over the past several years, $55,000 has been donated to Sacred Heart Hospital through the Foundation’s efforts and events.
and about 4,000 take part in the juried art contest and exhibition. The exhibition, which runs for two months, showcases entries from Walton County students in grades K–12. Each year, students are asked to create a drawing or painting that represents their interpretation of classical music. Awards are given and determined by an expert panel of both visual and performing artists. The Music in Pictures student art exhibition returns in March and April. The paintings will be displayed at Rosemary Beach Amavida Coffee & Tea, Sacred Heart Hospital, Coastal Library and Freeport Library.
30A CORNHOLE TOURNAMENT
photo by Epic Photo
MUSIC IN PICTURES This program was created with the goal of introducing and inciting a lifelong appreciation for symphonic music to Walton County students. To accomplish this, the Foundation collaborates with professional musicians as well as faculty and graduate students from Florida State University to create a comprehensive program consisting of performances, presentations and workshops. Each year, approximately 4,000 students participate in Music in Pictures in one form or another,
Taking advantage of the great lawns dotting Rosemary Beach, the Foundation runs a cornhole tournament every spring. At last year's 5th annual cornhole tournament, Corn Kings won the title, with The Bosses as the runner-up. The event takes place during National Autism Awareness Month. This year’s tournament on April 18 will benefit Westonwood Ranch (a farmbased learning program for young adults with autism) and South Walton Academy (a nonprofit, private school which focuses on offering an inclusive environment with special supports for children with Autism and other related disabilities such as Dyslexia, ADHD, and more).
