ouR mISSION IS TO

SAVE lIVES

 in our community by reducing suicide among youth and military through education and advocacy  for mental health and sustainable support. 

VISION: To build a community where everyone can thrive, free from risk of suicide.

2027 Funds will Support Building a Youth Residential Care Center in Ft. Walton as well as Supporting our 42 School C.A.R.E. Crews

Dragon Boat Paddler and Team Donation options in next section down

5th Annual Bring Hope Dragon Boat Festival & Race

APRIL 17th 2027 at The FT. WALTON LANDING PARK.
Save the date:

 Click here to download an .ics and add it to your calendar

Be part of the Bring Hope Dragon Boat Festival & Race

and help save lives through suicide prevention and mental health support.


Paddle or Form a Team

  • Team registration: {$1,100 through Sept 30, 2026} {$1,200 from Oct 1–Dec 31, 2026} {$1,400 from Jan 1, 2027 until race day}.
  • Each paddler is encouraged to raise at least $100 to support our work.
  • Rally friends, family, or coworkers and race together.

Donate

  • Support a paddler or team you know, or give directly to the event.

Sponsor

  • Partner with us to promote your business and bring hope to our community.

Volunteer

  • Offer your time and skills on race day or behind the scenes.

DON'T MISS OUT!!
REMEMBER....REGISTRATIONS ARE LIMITED SO REGISTER TODAY!

This event & our mission would not be possible without the help and support of our sponsors. 

Questions? Please Contact our Event coordinator -- Vandy Vela
at 'BringHopeDragonBoat@gmail.com' or directly at '850-714-7733' 

A BIG Thank You!

to our Sponsors, Teams, Volunteers and Everyone else that contributes to a successful 

​Annual Bring Hope Dragon Boat Festival & Race.

Presented By:

For:

Presented By:

Benefitting:

Our Story

In 2019 two thought leaders came together to solve a quickly growing problem….Okaloosa County, and more-so, Northwest Florida, having one of the fastest growing AND HIGHEST youth suicide rates in the state. Together with a great team and a WHOLE lot of community support, they began solving that concern.

Our Transition

The day finally came in late 2022/early 2023 when the board and the original founders knew the time was right. Bring Hope Now, Inc. became an official 501c3 charitable foundation in the fall of 2023. After ACCOMPLISHING THEIR ORIGINAL MISSION TOGETHER, raising over a half million dollars for school and military programs ...

Our Future

As the new board of Bring Hope Now was established, the future plan which was always part of Ms. Brockman’s dream, is to provide a youth mental health treatment facility in Okaloosa County. Once this happens, our kids and their family members won’t have to go as far as Orlando or Jacksonville, FL for long term (3-4 months) treatment. In addition, any of our kids who are Baker Acted have to go to either Pensacola or Panama City. Sometimes a bed may not be immediately available and they must wait in an ER for up to a week to be transferred. These long journeys can be extremely difficult for working parents or those without adequate transportation. 

BHN plans to grow their Military Hope on the Line program and also bring it to colleges in the area. Another very needed program is a Loss Survivor Program to support those who have lost a loved one by suicide and bring a team into a business, school or other location to help support those experiencing trauma to help prevent additional suicides. 

Our Sponsors

Suicide prevention, intervention and postvention is a community responsibility.


The mission does not end with our children, but extends to our brave military community, businesses and organizations.


Please consider joining our growing list of sponsors as we continue to support the programs in our schools, expand our reach within our communities to prevent suicide and build out new programs and opportunities to serve families that are deeply affected by Suicide.