Santa Rosa Club’s “Sassy Sisters” women’s group hosts successful fundraising campaign, “Project K-9”
Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club’s Sassy Sisters group presented a donation of $40,400 at their season finale event “Hats Off to Walton County Sheriff’s Office” on April 27 at Vue on 30a. At the beginning of their season, the Sassy Sisters named “Project K-9” as their philanthropic focus with hopes of raising the funds to support the acquisition of an additional working dog for the Walton County Sheriff’s Office.
Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club’s Sassy Sisters is a club within their membership that offers a full social calendar to meet the diverse interests of ladies of all ages. The group offers frequent opportunities to meet others at social events, explore local and regional attractions on day and overnight trips and get involved in the community by volunteering and fundraising. In November 2020, Sassy Sisters held an event at Vue on 30a entitled “Walton County Sheriff’s Office Presents: Our Courageous Canines.”
At this event, the group learned from Sheriff Michael Adkinson and directly from K-9 handlers, Deputy John Avery and Deputy Damon Byrd, about how valuable of a resource a K-9 is to them on a daily basis. The deputies shared personal stories of what it is like to have their K-9 by their side both at work and at home. The ladies were able to meet WCSO’s current K-9s; Jester and Colt, and watch them demonstrate their skills with both a narcotics search and a takedown apprehension on the beach.
The Sassy Sisters group raised funds through sales projects, special events and raffles as well as through member donations and contributions from the local community. The group partnered with Walton County resident, Andrea Rockefeller, whose career spanned more than 30 years in law enforcement with part of that time spent serving as a K-9 handler. Rockefeller felt passionately towards the campaign and pledged to match the total amount raised by Sassy Sisters. At the check presentation, Rockefeller revealed an additional $12,000 donation to the cause. The group exceeded their original goal and raised enough to support the purchase of three dual-purpose K-9s.
“K-9s provide an invaluable asset to Walton County Sheriff’s Office and to the community. They are the eyes and ears of their handlers undergoing many hours of training and strenuous real-world scenarios to achieve certification and become sworn members of our agency. Their loyal and dedicated service is one to be admired,” said Corey Dobridnia, Public Information Officer, Walton County Sheriff’s Office. “The donation from Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club means providing additional K-9s to our team to help assist with multiple aspects of law enforcement including drug detection, suspect apprehension, and more. All of this to achieve one goal; to make our community a safer place for families.”
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About Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club
Santa Rosa Golf & Beach Club is the only member-owned golf course and private beach club on the coast – located on scenic Highway 30A in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Hugging the sugar-white sandy beaches of South Walton, the club spans across more than 85 acres providing members and their guests access to golf, dining, and more. The club boasts an 18 hole, par 72 championship golf course, a beautiful beach club with private pool and beach access, plus dining – including the club’s signature restaurant located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, Vue on 30a. Learn more at www.santarosaclub.com.
Media Contacts:
Sarah Brazwell
sarah@santarosaclub.com | 850.267.2229 ext. 3
