LiveOak Fiber is bringing fast internet and world-class service to Northwest Florida. In February, LiveOak Fiber held a ribbon cutting with the Destin, Greater Fort Walton Beach and Niceville Valparaiso chambers of commerce. It also included a groundbreaking ceremony for internet service for Shalimar. LiveOak Fiber is a new Internet Service Provider headquartered in Brunswick, Ga., with offices extending west to Niceville. It offers fast internet speeds, world-class customer service, accessibility and localization. Its application allows you to control all your devices. No contracts are required, and there is no data cap. Find out more at liveoakfiber.com or call (850) 635-6755.
Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation’s (DCWAF) 2nd Annual Galentine’s Day Fundraiser raised a record-breaking $92,500 for young women in need in Northwest Florida, $30,000 more than last year’s inaugural event. The event brought influential women in the community together to support one another while raising money for programs designed to empower young girls through the foundation’s 16 partner children’s charities. All individuals and businesses affiliated with the production of the event are female owned and operated. The funds raised at this year’s fundraiser will benefit the following charity’s initiatives: Boys & Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast, Children in Crisis, Habitat for Humanity of Walton County, Point Washington Medical Clinic, Shelter House of Northwest Florida and Youth Village.
FP&L Donates $5,000 to OCSD Summer Camp Programs
A donation by Florida Power & Light Company will enhance the summer camp experience for rising fifth graders to help spark interest in coding, construction, biomedical, automotive, welding, culinary, entrepreneurship, digital design and cosmetology. Visit www.okaloosaschools.com.
Debra “Debi” Riley-Broadnax has joined the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC) as the non-profit’s new CARES Program Manager. Debi will be responsible for creating, managing and sustaining the CARES (Community, Awareness, Resources, and Support) Program. She will also oversee the non-profit’s successful Prevention and Safety Matters programs, already in the schools. Debi is a native of Fort Walton Beach and a product of the local public school system. She received her bachelor’s degree from Troy University, and her master’s degree in social work from the University of West Florida. Visit www.eccac.org or call (850) 892-0280 for more information. If abuse is suspected, call the anonymous Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE.
Emerald Coast Autism Center (ECAC) is launching the 11th Annual ONE Campaign to provide scholarships to students with autism. ECAC’s ONE Campaign is an annual effort to raise funds and awareness of autism within Okaloosa and surrounding counties. ECAC is kicking off the campaign with the 11th annual ONE Run 5K Saturday, April 1, 8 a.m., at Emerald Coast Autism Center on the campus of Northwest Florida State College, 80 College Blvd. East, Niceville. An after party with food, music and raffle drawings will follow. The ONE Campaign will continue with a golf tournament at Blackstone Golf Course in Mossy Head Friday, Sept. 29, with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Step One Automotive Group dealerships earned 2022 CARFAX Top-Rated LIFETIME Dealer Titles. CARFAX, the leading provider of vehicle history information, recently announced that Buick GMC Cadillac Fort Walton Beach, Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram South Savannah, and Volkswagen Fort Walton Beach have earned the title of 2022 CARFAX Top-Rated LIFETIME Dealer. This achievement is based on verified ratings and reviews from customers on CARFAX.com, demonstrating their commitment to providing exceptional customer service and high-quality vehicles. https://www.steponeautomotive.com/.
Okaloosa County native and Choctawhatchee High School alumnae Jennifer (Cannon) Kunz has shattered glass ceilings her entire life – first, as one of only a very few females enrolled in Auburn University’s Aerospace Engineering program, and now as the Associate Director, Technical at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Please join One Okaloosa EDC for an enlightening Roundtable Breakfast on March 15, 2023 (7:30-9:00am) at the Island Beachside Resort to hear more about Jennifer’s journey. She will also discuss recent NASA successes – including the first launch of the much-heralded Artemis program, which will see mankind return to the moon. Tickets are $20 for One Okaloosa EDC members and $30 for non-members. Advance registration is required by March 2. Visit https://florida-edc.org/our-organization/one-okaloosa-events.
Join the Choctawhatchee Audubon Society’s monthly evening program Thursday, March 2. George Ross will share his experience photographing hundreds of birds in many different ecosystems in Costa Rica. The biodiversity of Costa Rica makes this one of the top ecotourism destinations. Come learn about the country with an area smaller than West Virginia with the greatest density of bird species of any continental American country with 945 reported bird species, including 50 different hummingbird species. Room 800, 2nd floor of the Chandler Center (NW door of 519 Helms St.), Crosspoint Church, Niceville. Socializing with refreshments begins at 6:30 p.m., and the program begins at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Visit Choctawhatcheeaudubon.org for updated information on programs and bird walks: March 4, Wright Landfill and the Okaloosa Holding Ponds, 7:30 a.m.; March 11, bird walk to Destin Beaching and Birding Spots, 7:30 a.m.; March 18, Eden Gardens State Park, 8:30 a.m.; March 25, Deer Lake Restoration Area, 9a.m.
Last year, Cox gave over $1.6 million in cash and in-kind donations to Gulf Coast charities and non-profits with a primary focus on youth, education, diversity and conservation initiatives. Last November, Cox also presented the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast with a $20,000 grant to create a new Innovation Lab at the Pensacola Club. In addition to the annual corporate giving, Cox Charities, a grant program 100 percent funded by local Cox Gulf Coast employees, awarded approximately $25,000 to local non- profits and schools. In 2022, Gulf Coast employees awarded Innovation in Education Grants to Beulah Elementary School, Bob Sikes Elementary School, Escambia Westgate School, Exceptional Student Educational Department in Escambia County, Plew Elementary School, Shalimar Elementary School, Shoal River Middle School and West Florida High School. Emerald Coast Fitness Foundation, Lutheran Services of Florida, Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Northwest Florida Guardian ad Litem, Pensacola Little Theatre and the USO each received a Cox Charities Community Investment Grant. Along with the monetary support, employees served on over 50 local nonprofit boards and committees and volunteered over 1,500 hours to support community organizations. Finally, after a two-year move to virtual due to the pandemic, the 2022 Cox Inspirational Student Hero Awards Ceremonies were once again held in person in Escambia and Okaloosa counties. Cox turned the spotlight on a record 90 students that were chosen by their school due to their inspirational journeys. Whether it was overcoming a disability, tragic life event or other obstacle in life, these children were celebrated for their impact on others.
Vertex Solutions and Republic Airways’ LIFT Academy Announce Partnership
Vertex Solutions, a leading developer of high-fidelity learning technology, including extended reality (XR) pilot training and Republic Airways’ LIFT Academy, will integrate Vertex Immersive Training Devices (ITDs) into LIFT Academy’s cutting-edge training curriculum to increase the throughput, rigor and efficiency of LIFT’s already industry-leading pilot training program.
Proven by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Vertex ITDs have shown a 40% decrease in training time, a 70% decrease in time to solo and a 15% increase in performance—results that directly align with LIFT’s vision for increasing the efficiency of their flight training program to meet industry demands. LIFT Academy recognizes that this partnership—a first for pilot schools—will sustain them as a leader in flight training. For Vertex, this partnership opens a new pathway into commercial aviation, proving the dual-use versatility of their military offerings in the commercial sector.
For both DoD and commercial aviation, the high cost and limited availability of current Flight Training Devices (FTDs) and Full Flight Simulators (FFSs) have created barriers to achieving the number of pilots’ industry demands. The lightweight, small-footprint Vertex ITD improves student access by allowing a more widely spread distribution of devices, and its truly immersive learning environment prepares pilots for safer, more efficient aircraft evaluations. The use of Vertex ITDs in USAF undergraduate pilot training has shown up to a 70% decrease in the time it takes students to get to their first solo flight. Not only that, students retain information at a much higher rate, decreasing error rates during initial check rides, significantly increasing the training value of those flights. The XR ITD developed by Vertex Solutions, combined with LIFT Academy’s innovative, cutting- edge flight training program, will become the standard in commercial aviation training.
If you are an aspiring pilot, contact LIFT Academy at www.flywithlift.com. If you are an aviation training academy, contact Vertex Solutions at www.vertexsolutions.com.
