Bit-Wizards sponsored the Annual Multi-Chamber Business Expo and Taste of the Okaloosa County this year on March 15, 2016.
The annual Multi-Chamber Business Expo brings together the Greater Fort Walton Beach, Destin and Niceville Chamber members for the greatest marketing and networking opportunity of the year. Businesses of all kinds gather to share their services, swag, and business cards.
The Wizard team wanted to do something “a little different” this year, as CEO Vince Mayfield stated; and that is exactly what we did. Expo attendees visited the Bit-Wizards booth and played I.T. trivia, danced it out with their friends and co-workers on an Xbox Kinect Just Dance game and learned a little bit about the cloud and how it is revolutionizing how companies of all sizes do business at the cloud device bar. Then when attendees got their I.T. Trivia question correct and participated in a Just Dance face-off game they received tickets to donate to one of our favorite non-profits. At the end of the evening, Bit-Wizards matched the total donation for each of the organizations.
Our Donations
The Wizard team raised over $1,400 for some very worthy local non-profit organizations and during our donation drop off visits we learned all about each one of these organizations. The impact that they each have in our community is inspiring and powerful. Check out some pictures of our visits along with some interesting details about these non-profits below.
Fresh Start for Children & Families
Fresh Start provides shelter and resources for individuals and families who need a helping hand to get back on their feet and back into society. Fresh Start is a 501c3 non-profit organization that provides shelter and services
to the homeless of Okaloosa and Walton counties under Florida Dept. of Children and Families (DCF) Office on Homelessness and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Fresh Start has a current initiative to raise funds to purchase nearby property and build a neighborhood playground for the children of their community. To contribute to this initiative call: (850) 243-5648. Check out all the updates on their
Facebook page.
Founded in 2009 by two driven mothers (Heidi Blalock and Staci Berryman) they needed a place for their own children living with Autism, to grow and learn and interact with others. Growing from five children to now over 80
the school recently broke ground on a 2.5 million dollar building project that will allow the organization almost to double its student population to 130. It will feature ten classrooms and three group classrooms, a speech therapy room, an occupational therapy room, a life skills room, an indoor playground/gymnasium, a multipurpose room with adjoining kitchen, a conference room and administrative offices.
Support the ECAC Capital Campaign.
In 1989, the Emerald Coast Science Center opened its doors as the FOCUS (Families of Okaloosa County Understanding Science) Center. The name FOCUS emphasized the priority of the founders that the center was
not just for children or adults, but it was a center for families to learn about science together. Since then, the FOCUS Center has been renamed the Emerald Coast Science Center and recently relocated to a new and much larger facility in Fort Walton Beach. The new location is 5000 sq ft of interactive exhibits showcasing biology, physics, earth science, and technology. With this new space, the ECSC administration is working to improve and add exhibits to their center and to do this they take donations.
Learn how you can help ECSC.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast was born in 1968 as the Boys Club of the Playground Area with
15 Members. In 1990, the organization eagerly jumped the gender gap and welcomed girls to the newly named Boys & Girls Club of Okaloosa County. After a shift in Pensacola and the addition of new clubs, they renamed the organization to Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast. Now serving over 2,000 kids in nine Clubs across four counties the BGCEC have Clubs located in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton Counties. Their mission (which we might add is very compelling) is “To inspire and empower all young people to achieve their full potential.”
Learn how you can get involved with BGCEC.
In 2003, Children in Crisis, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c)(3) charity, was established to raise and manage the funds to build, staff, and operate The Children’s Neighborhood, a residential style foster care neighborhood. Since
then, CIC has served an average of over 100 children per year at The Children’s Neighborhood. They have built a facility that consists of a playground, neighborhood center, and kid’s clubhouse recreation center, four children’s homes, and Opportunity Place, which is a set of studio apartments for teenagers moving out of the program at CIC. The daily operations of CIC are intense and require 35 employees and more volunteers. The family style homes of CIC keep sibling groups together that would otherwise be separated into different foster homes and provide a family environment where these children can thrive during their stay.
Learn how you can help CIC.