Southern Swamp Gala 2024: A Night to Remember!
The gala kicked off with epic performances by Grammy award-winning country music artist, Billy Dean and Nashville’s lower Broadway performers, setting the stage for a memorable evening. Our own Sheriff Whidden made his appearance as well!
Food and drinks were in abundance at the gala, with the Sponsorship Dinner catered by Crave Culinaire and a food truck with mouth watering BBQ by Nunn Better BBQ available throughout the dance.
Booth Baddies’ photo booth brought the fire with their amazing 360-videos, capturing priceless moments and creating lasting memories!
...& A SUrprise Live-Auction!
And, true to our reputation for making every year more exciting than the last, we had our first ever LIVE AUCTION, which was a huge success!
Auction Highlights:
- Margaritaville Getaway Package: Christina Shaw secured the ultimate getaway with a winning bid of $3,500!
- Gun and Gun Trust: A generous bidder invested $6,000 to take this home!
- Guitar Signed by Billy Dean: Dorcey Law won this auction with a winning bid of $7,000, later graciously donating it back!
- Custom Hat created by City Girls Hat Bar: This beauty brought in $2,600!
The live auction raised a grand total of $26,600 for the SWFL Heroes Foundation. These funds will go towards supporting aspiring first responders and continuing the foundation’s mission of honoring heroism and service in the community.
Scholarship Awarded at Southern Swamp Gala
And of course, true to our mission, we awarded a scholarship to Zion Brown, as she begins her career path in Criminal Justice!
You can read more about Zion here: Scholarship Awarded to Zion Brown
Check out our photo gallery below for some great moments from the gala! We couldn’t have done it without the support of our amazing SWFL community.
Thank you to all our sponsors and the collective effort of all the people behind the scense who put this event together!
We’ll be back next year!
Be Like Julian
You can help make a difference by getting involved with the SWFL Heroes Foundation.
Visit our About Us Page to learn more about our mission, scholarship opportunities, and the impact we’ve made in the community. Consider donating on a monthly or one-time basis, and become a part of our journey to support the next generation of first responders. Together, we can continue to honor the legacy of Julian “Batman” Keen and make our community an even safer and more compassionate place for all.
Join us in celebrating heroes in the making, and let’s make a positive impact together!
Join the mission through your gift of any amount.
We value the next generation of leaders by providing scholarships and educational support to our future community heroes.
Let’s do this together! Your gift of any amount is appreciated.
