NAVARRE PRESS
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BUSINESS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2013 • N E W S & I N F O R M A T I O N
Horizons cuts ribbon on ice machine
Photo by Sandi Kemp
Dr. Julia McNabb, CEO of Horizons- The Arc of the Emerald Coast, cuts the ribbon at a Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce event for the ice machine
in the parking lot across the street from Navarre Park. The ice machine is being used to raise funds for Horizons, which aids citizens of all ages with
disabilities such as Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, autism and spina bifida.
By Chris Chatelain
[email protected]
A cool idea just got a
little better as Horizons-The
Arc of the Emerald Coast
held a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating its ice
machine located in the parking lot across from Navarre
Park on the north side of
Highway 98.
Though it’s been open for
several months, Horizons
decided to partner with the
Navarre Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and make
it official with the ribbon cutting on Tuesday.
According to Tracey
Williams, Community
Development representative
with Horizons, there were
two main reasons the organization invested in the Kooler
Ice machine: an income generating venture and to raise
public awareness.
“All proceeds directly support services for people of
all ages with disabilities,”
said Williams in an email.
“Many people don’t know
who Horizons is or what we
do. Also, we figure people
have to buy ice anyway, they
might as well buy ice where
they know their money is
supporting a good cause.”
Horizons-The Arc of the
Emerald Coast, is an advocacy organization based in
Fort Walton Beach for citizens
of all ages with disabilities
such as Down syndrome,
cerebral palsy, autism and
spina bifida. Horizons first
opened in 1992 and is an
affiliate of The Arc of the
United States, the world’s
largest grassroots advocacy
organization for citizens with
developmental disabilities
and their families.
“We provide services that
enable people who have
intellectual and develop-
mental disabilities to live,
work and play in our community,” said Julie McNabb, Horizons chief executive
officer.“We provide a variety
of programs serving people
of all ages, designed to help
people live safely, work productively and enjoy the beautiful recreational opportunities this area has to offer.”
Williams said the purchase
of the ice machine also provides opportunities to provide
work, as clients provide the
services for upkeep.
“We like to provide opportunities for people with disabilities to show what they
are capable of,”McNabb said.
“We not only want to serve
the day-to-day survival needs
of our clients, but proactively
prepare them for life-long
challenges.”
A 10-pound bag of ice
costs $1.00 and a 20-pound
bag costs $1.75. All of the
proceeds will be used to continue to enhance services for
people who have disabilities.
Williams indicated that
Horizons is currently
exploring options to purchase a second ice machine
for a location in North
Okaloosa County.