La Lumière: A Masquerade Affair, benefits Special Olympics of Florida Walton County and will take place on Friday, February 10, 2017, from 6 – 10 p.m. at St. Joe Club & Resort’s LakeHouse on Western Lake in Watercolor, Florida. The event is co-presented by Destin Plastic Surgery and Duckies Shop of Fun. This year’s ‘La Lumière: A Masquerade Affair’ will be Hannah’s third annual event benefiting Special Olympics.

Since its inception, Hannah’s birthday celebration has raised $65,000 for the Special Olympics Florida — Walton County.

Tickets are $100 in advance and $125 at the door. Click here to purchase yours.

Hannah’s connection with the Special Olympics started long before this fundraising party came to fruition. She moved to the area 10 years ago when she began selling real estate. Soon after, she connected with a successful realtor in the area, Jimbo Holloway, and went to work for Jimbo as an assistant. Jimbo grew into a mentor and confidant for Hannah, helping shape her career and guide her to success, as she became a realtor. Hannah and Jimbo are now partners and are currently with The Premier Property Group in Watercolor.

Jimbo and his wife Pam have three beautiful children. William, their son, has Down syndrome, a condition in which extra genetic material causes delays in the way a child develops, both mentally and physically. Three years ago, Jimbo approached Hannah to ask if she could help raise seed money for Special Olympics of Florida — Walton County.

Hannah immediately saw this as the perfect opportunity to give back to a family and the community that had been so gracious to her for years.

Since this happened to be around Hannah’s birthday, she decided to throw a birthday bash in honor of Special Olympics – Walton County. Hannah, along with her friends and Special Olympic volunteers, planned a party in less than two weeks with the goal of raising $5,000. By the end of the night, they had raised over $10,000. Hannah instantly realized the potential of even larger achievements provided more time to plan and additional community involvement.

Because of this inspiring insight, Hannah became more involved with the Special Olympics during the following months. She took part in their annual Field Day and got to know and appreciate the athletes she was raising money for.

The following year, Hannah and key benefactors launched a memorably themed Great Gatsby Party. Friends, loved ones, co-workers and community came out in awe-inspiring support to help her raise $55,000 in one night.

Hannah’s birthday parties have now become the largest single-event fundraisers each year for Special Olympics of Walton County, according to Mike Schumacher, fundraising chair for Special Olympics — Walton County.

The organization provides children over the age of 8 and adults with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to participate and compete in 16 different sports and athletic activities. The service is provided at no cost, including for equipment, facility rentals and travel expenses for competitions.

The value for the athletes is incredible, Shumacher said.

“They get to learn a lot of important life lessons,” he said. “In addition to physical fitness, healthy eating, keeping up with their uniforms and showing up to practices and social interaction, they also get all the life lessons that come from sports.”

Check out this video from a recent Special Olympics — Walton County event: