Raise your glass with Coastal Coalition for Children, Inc. at the St. Simons Island Casino Atrium on Friday, September 20. The main feature of Taste of the Vine 2013 is of course the wine and imported beer tastings with The Still and Winery proprietor, Jason Degoursey, and Mackay Cate of Georgia Crown Distributors giving insight into their products. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will include a shrimp and grits bar and gourmet desserts to accompany your beverage (whether wine, beer, or non-alcoholic) choices. The night’s activities will feature music by local favorites, The Stringrays, a silent auction that includes fine wines as well as several fascinating items, a 50/50 raffle and a wine toss. Tickets are $45 per person in advance (and can be purchased through the Taste of the Vine event page on Facebook or on the CC4C website) or $50 at the door.
Taste of the Vine promises to be a fun time on Saint Simons Sound to benefit a very worthy, but often unrecognized, cause: the Coastal Coalition for Children, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) agency that impacts more than 1,000 families in Glynn County. Through its three programs: Grandparent Connection, First Steps, and Healthy Families, CC4C has a mission to provide vulnerable children and families with the tools and knowledge needed to create safe, healthy, and stable home environments. Their goal is to enable their clients to become productive and self-sustaining families in the Golden Isles community.
Grandparent Connection provides a group network and resources for grandparents who are stepping in to raise their grandchildren. The First Steps program reaches out to expectant and new mothers. The First Steps staff drops by the hospital with a Great Start Georgia “Welcome to the World” bag and provides information to the new mother and family as to what they can expect over the next few months with a newborn. They answer questions and make referrals and recommendations if a specific need is uncovered. They provide a support for young families starting out on this new and challenging adventure through the Healthy Families program. If the family requests assistance, a support worker will be assigned to encourage positive parenting skills and develop interaction with the child.
There are some truly wonderful stories about how CC4C has made a difference in the lives of the families they assist from a Healthy Families member who became part of the staff to grandparents who have found themselves part of a new “family” through Grandparent Connection. This may not be a high-profile non-profit organization, but the impact they make on the lives they touch is big and your contributions have a significant effect. To learn more about CC4C, visit their website at cc4children.net or follow them on Facebook.
