HAUNTED HOUSE PROJECT: 

Teaches teamwork, organization, performance, construction, theatrical design, costuming and make-up. Also counts for Community Service Hours as the entire profit of this event supports later Jaycees Charity Projects. 

(see more below)

The Fort Walton Beach Jaycees are now looking for volunteers for the 2010 Haunted House Sunsations 20001 Emerald Coast Pkwy (next to Fudpuckers).   We need help with construction, decoration, playing a monster or working security. Your organization or group of friends can decorate and maintain your own room. The Haunted House will be open again next October for the last 4 weekends from 7pm until the last person goes through. !  Some benefits of working the Fort Walton Beach Jaycees Haunted House: T-shirt, Food & Drinks, & prizes for best at season end. Artists Needed during building Haunted House, to airbrush or paint plywood designs on walls for frightening.  To assist at the Haunted House, we ask that children be 16 and older unless a parent volunteers with them (This makes a great family event!) Everyone will need to sign a release form. Everyone accumulates Community Service Hours.

The Haunted House is our largest and most famous project.  The community of Jaycees throughout the nation put on public Holloween attractions.  In the state of Florida the Jaycees compete to put on the best Haunted House.  For the past two years (2007 and 2008)our club has won the state award for the BEST HAUNTED HOUSE IN THE STATE.  In 2008 our event held at the HarborWalk Village won special acknowledgement for the Most Intense Haunted House.

For more information about the 2009 Haunted House, see the tab.

For more information or to volunteer email fortwaltonbeachjaycees@yahoo.com or visit www.myspace.com/fwbjaycees or Call 850-642-5292.

 THANSKGIVING DAY BASKET PROJECT:

In conjunction with local food banks, the Jaycees put together Thanksgiving Day dinners for families in need in our community. We assemble baskets containing the full contents of a good meal and deliver them before that Thursday.  In 2008,  we helped 12 families eat very well that holiday. 
We give thanks by giving back.

GIVE A KID A CHRISTMAS PROJECT (GAKAC):

The majority of funds made by the Haunted House traditionally go to support this project.  Kids in need are identified by our local community United Way and the school system.  We are one of the many organizations that take part in the GAKAC program in Okaloosa county.  It works like this...we escort kids assigned to us to a large store (sometimes with their parents) to shop for new school clothes.  If the sum alotted for them is not spent then the kids can pick out their own Christmas toy.  Often the dear children want to shop for gifts for their families.  We love to put a smile on their faces, because they always put one on ours.

Tentatively scheduled this year for Saturday Dec 19, 2009. 

SANTA'S WONDERLAND TREE AUCTION

This is also a brand new project in 2009.  We invited any other organizaiton to auction a predecorated artificial Christmas tree for a charity or non-profit organization of their choice.  Then we displayed them in a maze that led to Santa and an area where children could play.  This year we had a low turnout and most trees auctioned at the minimum bid.  However we see the potential in this great project and plan to try again next year.

Zombie Walk

Food Drive: This past October 2009 we partnered with the Fort Walton Beach Historic Downtown Merchants Association to organize a Zombie Walk and Can Food Drive.  What a great success!   Over 475 people showed up dressed as Zombies to walk downtown, trick-or-treat and support our local food banks. Due to it's great success we will do this again in 2010. This project is brand new to us.  See the tab for more details.

Other Projects we like to participate in:

Hospice Cox Telethon: Covanent Hospice is there to help dying individuals and their families with care and support at this sensitive time. 

Cookie Dough for CAC house.  The Children's Advocacy Center (CAC) house is there to help children who are victims of domestic violence or other crimes.  We have helped by donating  a supply of cookie dough.

United Way Annual Champion Chili Competition:  Proceeds support the various agencies of the United Way.  Most often the 1st Sat in February.

Knights of Columbus Tootsie Roll Drive:  The drive every spring gives a tootsie roll out for donations to support the developmentally disadvanged in our community.  The Knights give all the funds raised to the three agencies in our county that do the specialized work these individuals need.

Relay for Life:  The American Cancer Society holds relays in various towns in our county to raise money for cancer research.

Come on out & have fun with the Fort Walton Beach Jaycees and benefit your community at the same time! The Fort Walton Beach Jaycees are open for anyone age 18-40 who wants to develop leadership skills through community service projects.
Thank You for your consideration. We won best in the state the last 2 years and hope to do it again this year. We also earned enough money for our Thanksgiving Baskets and Give-A-Kid-Christmas projects.