22-05-2025
11th annual Casino Royale Gala raises nearly $280,000 for Baptist Health Care Foundation
Baptist Health Care Foundation's 11th annual Casino Royale gala raised nearly $280,000. Proceeds will benefit Gulf Breeze Hospital. This year, Baptist is celebrating two major milestones − 40 years of compassionate care, innovation and excellence at Gulf Breeze Hospital and 50 years of transformative philanthropic support and impact through the Foundation.
The annual Casino Royale gala is held at the Hilton Pensacola Beach. This year's theme was based on the James Bond movie, Dr. No. More than 300 guests enjoyed an elegant gourmet dinner, six-piece showband, casino games and a silent auction.
To learn more about the Baptist Health Care Foundation or to make a contribution, call 448-227-8150 or visit
Sunday's Child, a Pensacola-based nonprofit organization that promotes equality and inspires inclusion by awarding grants for significant charitable and economic initiatives, announces the opening of its 2025 grant cycle. Nonprofits serving Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties are invited to submit a Letter of Intent now through June 2 at Community Force, found at
Founded on the belief that philanthropic action fosters social change, Sunday's Child has awarded over $1 million in grants since its inception in 2014, supporting projects that improve quality of life while upholding policies of inclusivity, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community. Past recipients include Pensacola Little Theatre, Community Health Northwest Florida, First City Arts Center, Manna Food Pantries, and many more organizations making a lasting impact.
For the 2025 grant cycle, nonprofits can apply for awards of up to $50,000 to fund new programs, expand existing initiatives, or develop collaborative projects. Applications must serve residents of Escambia and/or Santa Rosa Counties and be completed within 18 months of award.
Following the LOI and full grant application submissions, the Sunday's Child Grant Review Committees will evaluate applications and select finalists. All applicants will be notified of the evaluation process within one week of the grant application closing. Finalists will be announced in September 2025 and invited to present a five-minute verbal pitch — without visual aids — at the annual meeting on Oct. 12. Members will vote on recipients immediately following the presentations.
Visit for details.
The Escambia County Board of County Commissioners is seeking Escambia County residents interested in volunteering to be considered for the county administrator's appointment to the Escambia County Mass Transit Advisory Committee.
Escambia residents interested in serving on the Escambia County Mass Transit Advisory Committee are asked to submit a resume by 5 p.m. May 23. Resumes should be emailed to boardapply@ or mailed to: Jose Gochez, Program Manager; Escambia County Board of County Commissioners; 221 Palafox Place; Pensacola, FL 32502
Be aware that resumes submitted to a BCC agenda for consideration will become part of the official minutes and are subject to public records requests.
The board, in its regular meeting on Oct. 1, 2009, adopted a resolution establishing the MTAC. The MTAC meets quarterly, typically on the second Wednesday of the month from 3 to 5 p.m.
Escambia County Sea Turtle Patrol volunteers celebrated Mother's Day with the first nest of the 2025 season on Perdido Key. This nest is the earliest nest on record for Perdido Key and ties for the earliest nest on Pensacola Beach since county surveys began in 2019.
Heavy rains and Sargassum have made for tricky patrol conditions, but eagle-eyed patrollers spotted the loggerhead nest despite high surf and overnight rain. Loggerheads account for 90 percent of nests laid in Escambia County. May and June are the busiest nesting months in Escambia County, so more nests are expected in the coming weeks.
Three other species of sea turtle nest on Escambia County beaches from May to October, including greens, leatherbacks and the rare Kemp's Ridley. Once laid, the eggs will incubate for around 60 days, after which hatchlings emerge under the cover of darkness and make their way to the Gulf.
Sea turtles of all sizes face many threats. For nesting females, white lights on the beach may deter them from nesting or cause them to abandon a nesting attempt. Furniture, tents and toys left on the beach overnight create obstacles for nesting turtles and can injure or trap them on the beach.
Follow the Escambia County Natural Resources Management Department on Facebook and Instagram at @ECNaturalResources for future updates and visit for more information about sea turtles and other coastal wildlife in Escambia County.
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This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Casino Royale Gala raises nearly $280,000 for Baptist Health Care
