A PRICELESS PARTNERSHIP

Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center

BY PAIGE AIGRET

• The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center is a local nonprofit organization providing services for children in Okaloosa and Walton counties that have been abused, neglected or assaulted.

A vital resource for the community, the organization offers intervention, therapeutic treatment and prevention education, as well as working to bridge the gap between families and needed resources.

Seeing the critical need for the services ECCAC provides, Hilton Sandestin Beach has been partnering with the organization since 2000, when Frank Flautt, cofounder of Sandcastle Resorts and Hotels, the resorts management company, was introduced to the organization after touring their Niceville center.

“Since that day, he and Hilton Sandestin Beach have been unwavering, kind and generous supporters for over 20 years,” said Julie Porterfield, CEO of ECCAC.

Hilton Sandestin Beach hosts the center’s signature gala event annually where thousands of dollars are raised to support the many programs the center provides to child abuse victims in the local community.

“The team at Hilton Sandestin Beach, each year, has gone above and beyond to ensure its success on so many levels,” said Porterfield.

“Most recently, we experienced a flood and fire at our Niceville center. And they were there to lend financial support to help keep our head above water.”

Over the 20-plus years of support that Hilton Sandestin Beach has offered to ECCAC, the resort has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the organization to assist in their efforts.

But that dollar amount is just a portion of the benefits of partnering with Hilton Sandestin Beach.

For Porterfield: “We can say it’s priceless.” said Kevin Rosa, Director of Sales and Marketing at Hilton Sandestin Beach. “Association meetings will always be large but I think trends are shifting more in the corporate world, where meetings are becoming more exclusive to executive-type gatherings with fewer attendants.”

“Our devoted on-site event planners have adapted over the last few years to create more specialized, detailed programs for our groups, no matter the size,” said Rosa.

That said, the resort can accommodate groups of up to 2,000 with its three ballrooms, pre-function spaces and 1,260-square-foot theater. Hilton Sandestin Beach is honored to have dozens of return customers, such as the United Steelworkers, that trust them each year with their event.

“For the United Steelworkers, this will be the first time their group of 1,300 members has been able to gather in its entirety since 2019,” Rosa said of the conference. “This year, we’re excited to debut for them and others our new, linenless banquet furniture. It’s a nicer, more streamlined and user-friendly product that offers not only a cleaner look but is also a more sustainable option.

“As many of you come together for the first time in a while, it is our goal to create for you a safe meeting environment,” added Rosa. “Our fantastic events team is ready to work with you and welcome you back to normalcy.”