SANTA ROSA BEACH, Fla. (March 11, 2020) – Broker Associate, Hannah Martin, of Coastal Luxury Real Estate announced “La Lumière: Madly Giving,” presented by Destin Plastic Surgery and Duckies Shop of Fun, raised $50,000 for three local charities, Special Olympics Florida — Walton County, Westonwood Ranch and Princesses of Paradise.
Held on Sunday, February 9, 2020, in The WaterColor LakeHouse at Watercolor Inn & Resort, the sixth annual event featured an exotic yet entertaining “Alice in Wonderland” dining and interactive experience. The funds raised by La Lumière will provide Westonwood Ranch and Special Olympics Florida — Walton County each with $20,000 and Princesses of Paradise with $3,000. The remaining $7,000 raised will be distributed to additional special needs programs locally throughout the year.
“We are incredibly grateful to Hannah Martin and the La Lumière Foundation for their continued support of our mission,” said Lindy Wood, founder of Westonwood Ranch. “Hannah came alongside us prior to even breaking ground on our campus and has remained a strong supporter and advocate. The money raised through Madly Giving will go into our In-House Scholarship Fund, which allows us to provide learning opportunities to individuals who may not have been able to access life skills or job skills programming prior to Westonwood Ranch.”
The annual birthday bash was started in 2014 after Martin’s mentor and business partner, Jimbo Holloway, approached her about raising seed money for Special Olympics Florida — Walton County. Since its inception, the party has raised nearly $350,000 and over the course of six years has generously donated to a multitude of local charities.
“On behalf of our athletes, coaches, volunteers and management team we were thrilled to receive the generous donation of $20,000 to support our Special Olympics Florida- Walton County Program,” said Nancy Simpler, county director of Special Olympics Florida- Walton County. “All of our sports programs are provided at no cost to our athletes or their families, so these funds will enable us to buy equipment, uniforms and secure facilities to host our practices and competitions. This program has a huge impact on the lives of our athletes and their families.”
This year’s party was unlike any other held before. Only a select number of seats were sold creating an intimate celebration that was first of its kind to the area. Event goers donned their best “Alice in Wonderland”- themed cocktail attire before heading down the rabbit hole into Hannah Martin’s own Wonderland. Guests delighted in whimsical craft cocktails and decadent, over-the-top food, plus plenty of entertainment experiences beyond their wildest dreams. Guests also had the opportunity to purchase exclusive food and beverage items for their table that were accompanied by special performances and theatrical experiences provided by Aerial Dragons Entertainment. 100% of the proceeds from these sales went directly to the cause. Click here for video
“This year was unlike anything ever hosted before. It was truly a culmination of love, hard work and kindhearted souls living to give,” Martin said. “I will never stop being amazed or humbled by the generous people in our area with the ability to come together for a greater cause. It is such an honor to be able to share my birthday and passion of enriching our special needs programs with this beautiful community.”
The La Lumière Foundation would like to give special thanks to event sponsors who made the evening possible. Presenting Sponsors: Destin Plastic Surgery and Duckies Shop of Fun; In Kind Sponsors: Cathead Vodka, Clutch Media Works, Coastal Insurance, Coastal Luxury Real Estate, Epic Photo Co., Fisher’s Flowers, Land • Air • Sea Productions, Proffitt PR, St. Joe Club & Resorts, and WaveFly.
For more information about La Lumière and upcoming events, please visit www.hannahmartinsparty.com. To stay up to date with news and happenings, follow Hannah Martin’s Party on Facebook and Instagram.
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About La Lumière Foundation
La Lumière started as a way for Hannah Martin, the founder of La Lumière Foundation, to turn her birthday celebration into an opportunity to give back to her community. Five years and over $350,000 later, Martin and the foundation have created an advocacy network for the Walton County special needs community. It is the hope that with continued success of this annual event, this fund will develop into a steadfast support system where all members of the special needs community can grow and prosper without the need of funding. To learn more about La Lumière visit their website at https://www.hannahmartinsparty.com.
About Special Olympics Florida — Walton County
Special Olympics Florida — Walton County provides year-round sports training and competition to children and adults 8 years of age and older with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Walton County. We currently serve over 100 athletes in the County who compete in 11 different sports at the local, area and state level area for each sport. There are over 300 potential athletes in Walton County alone. Florida is the first state and Walton County is one of the first programs to offer Stand Up Paddle as a Special Olympics Sport. All programs are provided at no charge to the athletes or their families. Your donations cover sports equipment, uniforms, travel and lodging expenses for local, area and state competitions. To find out more, please visit http://specialolympicsflorida.org/walton/.
About Westonwood Ranch
The overall mission of Westonwood Ranch is to fill the gap in transition services as young adolescents enter adulthood. Its central focus is to utilize the medium of agriculture to provide meaningful pre-vocational training, social opportunities for young individuals on the autism spectrum via hands on mentoring and specific skill training in a safe, nurturing, green farm environment. Students experience continuing opportunities to explore and expand their interests through participation in fine arts and crafts, agricultural and equestrian activities, as well as opportunities to integrate with community members through internships, community volunteering and employment. There is also a focus on individual health and well-being which makes our program a truly unique model. To find out more about Westonwood Ranch, please visit: www.westonwood.org
About Princesses of Paradise
Founded by Mia Bennett, a 19-year-old student at Florida State University, the Princesses of Paradise Pageant was created for girls and women with special and unique needs and give them the entire pageant experience from top to bottom. With their unique awards process, every contestant receives a crown and a sash with their own title. No title is higher than another, however, this does not do away completely with the element of friendly competition. Princesses of Paradise strives to build the participants self-esteem in showing them that all women are princesses in their own way.