The OCSO Sheriff’s Star Charity is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2014 by members of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. We are dedicated to supporting members of local law enforcement and their families during times of need or hardship as a means of giving back to those that work so hard serving our community. We also support activities, charities, and worthwhile causes that benefit our community by providing labor and financial support and assistance.
Our organization is not taxpayer funded. We are supported entirely by community donations and contributions from individual employees of the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office. Our Board of Directors, which is comprised of Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office members who volunteer their time to accomplish the Charity's mission, is responsible for collectively determining how these funds are utilized to best support those in need.
The five points on our logo represent the primary focus points of our organization:
Law Enforcement Officers
Animals/Environment
Children & Families
Local & National Charities
Food Banks
Our primary mission is to help support local law enforcement officers and their families during times of need or hardship. We have helped dozens of law enforcement families with direct benevolent and financial assistance during serious illnesses or injuries, casualties, and other unforeseen hardships.
Since our organization was founded in 2014, we have helped raise funds for the families of three fallen Okaloosa County Sheriff's Deputies to help relieve the financial burdens the families endured as they focused on coping and healing from their tragic losses. This includes the families of fallen Deputy Sheriff Bill Myers, Deputy Sheriff Michael Neau, and Corporal Ray Hamilton.
In 2015, Deputy Myers was shot and killed while serving a domestic violence injunction in Shalimar. In 2021, Deputy Neau passed away unexpectedly from complications as a result of an illness contracted while working at the OCSO Booking Facility. Then, on Christmas Eve 2022, Corporal Hamilton was shot and killed while on the perimeter of the home of a barricaded domestic violence suspect in Fort Walton Beach.
When you support the OCSO Sheriff's Star Charity, you are also helping to support other vetted, worthwhile causes in our community. We are proud to support a variety of organizations and causes with honorable missions that benefit our community. We host an “Annual Giving Meeting” each year where organizations in our community give presentations about their cause to our Board of Directors and receive financial contributions.
Some of the organizations we support include:
You'll find our members providing labor assistance for community projects and events throughout the year. Additionally, we regularly provide financial support for worthwhile events and causes that benefit our community.
One well-known annual event we’re involved in is the “Hospice Tree” program. Every year, we purchase miniature Christmas trees which are given out to be decorated. Once complete, the decorated trees are given to Emerald Coast Hospice patients throughout our community. Patients are able to brighten their rooms and spirits during the Holiday season.
We also partner with the OCSO School Resource Officers during the annual "Angel Tree" program where SROs identify students in their schools whose families may be facing financial hardship. The program ensures each child is sponsored to provide gifts and have a brighter Holiday.
We coordinate several annual fundraisers to help support our organization’s mission. One popular fundraiser is our “Outlaw 2 Gun Match.“ This annual shooting competition, hosted by ALTUS Shooting Solutions in Baker, Florida, focuses on marksmanship precision and time-capped stages. The event attracts competitive shooters from across the Florida Panhandle and beyond and all proceeds benefit the OCSO Sheriff's Star Charity.
Another popular fundraiser is our annual "30 Days of Christmas" Gun Giveaway. Starting in October every year, Charity members offer tickets with a suggested $30 donation. Tickets are drawn every day for 30 days in December and we give away a different gun each day. This fundraiser is open to all members of the public who are eligible for gun ownership.
OCSO Sheriff's Star Charity
P.O. Box 944 | Shalimar, FL 32579
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