On December 12, Proffitt PR held its 5^th Girls’ Night Out (GNO) event, a holiday soiree at Marlin Grill in The Village of Baytowne Wharf. Beginning as a holiday party for local women of the area just one year ago, GNO soon cultivated into a larger get together each time held at venues. GNO quickly garnered a loyal following of over 300 ladies.

With such a significant growth of the event, Proffitt PR began to incorporate a beneficiary to raise money for charity. For GNO at Marlin Grill, Proffitt PR partnered with local charity, Food For Thought Outreach, Inc. whose mission is to support the children in the community. Based in Santa Rosa Beach, Food For Thought provides healthy, easy to prepare food weekly to elementary aged children who might not otherwise have enough to eat.

“Everyone at Food For Thought feels so blessed for the opportunity to be a part of such a special event,” said Food For Thought’s executive director, Tiffanie Shelton. “The money raised at GNO will go directly to feeding the children in our community, and we raised enough money to feed 150 children in our program for one year.”

The evening featured photos with Santa, raffle prizes, a silent auction, vacation giveaways, local vendors, and a sell-out crowd of over 300 leading ladies of the Emerald Coast in attendance. For a $30 donation to attend, guests enjoyed heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine and spirits which included a specialty drink with $1 of each sold going towards the cause in exchange for a chance to win a vacation stay donated by Blue Marlin Realty Group.

One fundamental aspect of GNO was sponsorship from local businesses through silent auction, raffle, and giveaways. Attendees browsed the array of silent auction items including a ladies’ pink Bote Board, a Justin Gaffrey painting, plastic surgery and more. Raffle prizes covered the second floor of the restaurant where ladies purchased tickets to those items they wished to win. Vendors including Destin Jewelers and Rodan & Fields were located on the main floor of Marlin Grill to allow guests to browse their products and to learn more about the local businesses within the area. While vendors including Today’s Boutique, Frill Seekers Gifts, Mermaid’s Boutique, Regatta Chiropractic, Niki Gaffrey Jewelry, and Private Gallery adorned the second floor.

There were many opportunities for women to win prizes as well as donate to the cause. Destin Jewelers sold a chance to win a Steve Mazza Jewelry Company necklace and earring set valued at $3,000. Guests were asked to make a donation of $20 in exchange for a flute of pink champagne to toast at the end of the night, with one flute containing the winning pink crystal to take home the jewels. Upstairs, guests were entertained with FaceTime Photobooth and a table full of props to create fun memories with instant photo strips branding the evening.

“Being able to gather hundreds of the most incredible women in our area into one place on one night is so amazing,” said Jessica Proffitt. “The power and confidence of the women in the room exudes throughout. It has been such a blessing to be able to create an outing for women to enjoy themselves, network and have a good time all while giving back to a worthy cause.”

Given the resounding success of GNO at Marlin Grill, it’s hoped that the upcoming GNO events will provide an even greater chance to raise funds for local charities of the Emerald Coast. The date has not been set yet, but another Girls Night Out will take place during the first part of 2013.

For more info, contact Proffitt PR at 850-654-4040 or [email protected].