The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center’s Pierce Family Center in DeFuniak Springs celebrated the reopening of its renovated courtyard Friday with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
- The 2025 Walton Leadership Class from the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce spearheaded the project, raising over $10,000 to renovate the Dugas Family Courtyard, which has been in place since the center opened in 2016.
Class members not only raised the funds but also physically completed the work, transforming the outdoor space with new flowers, trees, games, decorative pavers, furniture and benches.
“A huge thank you to the Walton Leadership Class members who made this meaningful project possible,” said Julie Porterfield, ECCAC’s CEO. “We appreciate their hard work, creativity and dedication in bringing this space to life. Our therapists can now conduct sessions outside and a space for kids to play.”
The renovated courtyard provides a safe, enclosed area where staff, children and families can play, meet and hold cookouts.
- Leadership Walton is a program offered by the Walton Area Chamber for men and women who have achieved leadership positions in their fields. Participants strengthen their skills through experiential learning, team building, communication and time management.
ECCAC’s mission is to heal and prevent the trauma of childhood abuse and neglect by providing advocacy, child-friendly therapies, and a safe environment for kids. In 2024, ECCAC served more than 1,440 children and over 12,500 students received Child Safety Matters prevention education in area schools.
The center provides services to children and their families at no cost in their Okaloosa and Walton County locations.
For more information about ECCAC, visit here. If abuse is suspected, it can be reported by calling the anonymous Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE.
