Walton County Snowbirds give back to the community

The Walton County Snowbirds partner with OneBlood each year to sponsor a blood drive. This year, the blood drive will be on Feb. 15 at Faith Fellowship Hall, 306 S. Geronimo, Miramar Beach.  

The OneBlood mobile bus will be in the parking lot from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Snowbirds are scheduling appointments. Contact Peg Breetz at 330-807-2379 to schedule an appointment. All are welcome, not just Snowbirds. Participants will each receive a free OneBlood T-shirt and a $20 electronic gift card that can be used at various retail stores. 

The club also has 50/50 raffles at each general meeting during the season. The proceeds go towards two $1,000 scholarships for South Walton High School students to use for college. Attend any general meeting to buy tickets for the drawing. 

In addition, the club sells FundRays coupon books throughout the season for $20. These coupon books provide discounts at many local restaurants and stores in Walton and Okaloosa Counties. The proceeds from the sales of the coupon books go to Children in Crisis, a foster care organization in Fort Walton Beach. 

The Snowbirds also know how to have fun while on the beautiful Emerald Coast. The Walton County Snowbirds held their first of two socials on Jan. 20 at Acme Oyster House in Miramar Beach. Approximately 60 Snowbirds flocked to Acme to socialize and meet new friends. Our next social is Feb. 3 at The Beach House on the Gulf side of Sandestin, 4009 S Sandestin Boulevard. The club is also having a dolphin cruise on Feb. 10 on the Southern Star. The cruise, entertainment, food, beer, wine, and soft drinks are provided for just $30 per person. For more information on the social and dolphin cruise, go to our website at www.waltoncountysnowbirds.com. 

The Snowbirds have several card groups during the season. Bridge meets on Mondays and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Auston’s Restaurant in Miramar Beach. Euchre is held on Wednesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. at Culver’s on Route 98. Hand and Foot players meet on Fridays at 11:30 at The Beach House in Sandestin. After folks have lunch, they play cards until approximately 4 p.m. Mah-Jongg is on Thursdays from 1 to 4 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Destin. Lastly, poker is played on Tuesdays from 6 to 9 p.m. at Culver’s. Card and game players can play every day with various game options. 

Besides these activities and events, there are over 30 other activities including basketball, bowling, golf, aerobics, ballroom dancing, discussion groups, singles group, trips to the Biloxi casinos and more. 

The club had a general meeting on Jan. 26 at Destin United Methodist Church. Several hundred snowbirds attended and were entertained by the music of Cheryl Jones. The club awarded a gift basket to Mike Carman from Texas as our 600th member. Currently, the club has 653 members. Additional opportunities to register for this season of the Walton County Snowbirds activities are on Monday, Feb. 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Faith Assembly Hall at 306 S. Geronimo in Miramar Beach. Dues are $20 per person for the season. You must be a member of the Walton County Snowbirds to participate in any of the activities. 

You can also register at 9 a.m., one hour before any of our general meetings. Each meeting includes live entertainment, local vendors who have giveaways and discounts to their establishments, door prizes, the 50/50 raffle to benefit the scholarship fund, and the sale of the FundRays coupon books. The final general meeting is on Feb 23 at 10 a.m. at St. Andrews Episcopal Church, 207 Harbor Blvd, Destin. 

For more information on registration and all the activities and events the club has to offer, go to the website at www.waltoncountysnowbirds.com or join the group Facebook page “Walton County Snowbirds.” 

The article was provided by Peg Breetz, 2nd Vice-President, Walton County Snowbirds.