Pine Castle

🎶 YeeHaw, Y’all! 🤠🎸

Exploring different genres of music is an important part of discovering new talents, building confidence, and sharing creativity! From learning different instruments to finding the perfect southern twang, the talented participants in Pine Castle’s band showcased their incredible versatility and diversity through music.

This time, they traded in their usual tunes for some good ol’ country music—including a special tribute to the late, great Dolly Parton! 💕🎶

We’re so proud of our musicians for stepping outside their comfort zones, trying something new, and proving that there’s no limit to what they can do!

YEEHAW, Y’ALL! 🤠🎤🎸🎶

💚 Community Connection in Action! 💚

Our Residential Program participants recently enjoyed an unforgettable evening at the Alhambra Theatre & Dining, experiencing the fun and magic of Shrek together!

But this was about so much more than a night at the theater. It was about creating memories, sharing laughter, building friendships, and enjoying a special experience together as an extended family and community. At Pine Castle, we believe everyone deserves the opportunity to be an active and valued part of their community. Moments like these allow our participants to engage, explore, connect, and simply enjoy life alongside others. Most importantly, we are grateful to be part of a community that welcomes, embraces, and celebrates people for who they are and the unique differences that make each person special. 💚

Community connection isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we live.

💙 Celebrating Guardian Pharmacy! 💙

What a wonderful day of connection, service, and community! We are incredibly grateful to the team at Guardian Pharmacy for spending time at Pine Castle and investing in the people we proudly serve.

Their team joined us for a Pine Castle Experience Tour and volunteer engagement day, beginning with meaningful one-on-one interactions with our participants throughout campus. From dancing, basketball, tennis, and social interaction in the LEC gym to joining the Bible Study Club, their volunteers brought energy, kindness, and plenty of smiles to the day!

The experience continued with a Pine Castle Experience Tour, giving the Guardian Pharmacy team an inside look at our history, mission, and vision, while learning more about the incredible individuals who make Pine Castle so special. They also had the opportunity to see our Residential, Life Enrichment, and Community Employment Programs in action.

Thank you, Guardian Pharmacy, for your time, your generosity, and your commitment to our Pine Castle community! We are grateful to have you as part of the Pine Castle family!

💙 Celebrating a Very Special Volunteer: Tatum! 💙

Sometimes a volunteer makes such a meaningful impact that they become part of the Pine Castle family—and that’s exactly what happened with Tatum!

What began as volunteering grew into a part-time summer position during her time off from college, giving Tatum even more opportunities to spend quality time with our participants and create special moments together. From making creative art projects to cheering on sports activities, Tatum brought energy, kindness, and genuine connection to every moment. Her willingness to jump in, engage, laugh, create, and simply be present made a lasting impression on the people we serve.

Thank you, Tatum, for sharing your time, talents, and heart with Pine Castle! We are so grateful for the memories you helped create and the joy you brought to our campus. 💙✨

Once a Pine Castle friend, always a Pine Castle friend!

Keeping Pine Castle Clean: Our Custodial Crew

At Pine Castle, a job is more than a paycheck. It’s an opportunity to build confidence, learn valuable skills, contribute to the community, and take pride in a job well done.

Our Custodial Crew puts that philosophy into action every day across our 10-acre campus. From keeping common areas clean and organized to maintaining outdoor spaces and helping ensure our campus is welcoming for participants, staff, volunteers, and visitors, our crew plays an important role in keeping Pine Castle running smoothly.

But the impact goes far beyond a clean campus.

Through their work, crew members are earning a paycheck, developing hands-on job skills, practicing responsibility and teamwork, following workplace expectations, and gaining valuable experience that can help prepare them for greater employment opportunities.

There is something powerful about knowing that your work matters—and our Custodial Crew sees that impact every day. Whether they are tackling a big project or taking care of the small details that others may not notice, these dedicated employees are helping make Pine Castle a place where everyone can learn, work, and connect.

We are proud of our Custodial Crew and the important work they do! 💙

At Pine Castle, employment isn’t just about having a job. It’s about having purpose, being valued, and knowing you make a difference.

A Milestone in Mental Health, Research & Service

Pine Castle proudly celebrates Dr. Danielle Bingham, Director of Mental Health Services, recently earning her PhD in Psychology from Liberty University.
Danielle’s published dissertation, Spiritual Abuse: A Qualitative Study on the Lived Experience of Survivors and Their Attachment to God, explores the complex intersection of trauma, faith, trust, safety, attachment, and healing—research that offers valuable insight for those supporting individuals through difficult experiences.

As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Qualified Supervisor in Florida, Danielle has helped expand Pine Castle’s Mental Health Services, including Psychosocial Rehabilitation, individual counseling, clinical assessment and treatment planning, crisis intervention, and professional development.
Her research also brings an important perspective to our work with our participants, reinforcing the importance of trauma-informed, person-centered care that honors each individual’s voice, autonomy, dignity, and whole-person experience.

“A large portion of this PhD happened while I was working at Pine Castle, so it feels especially meaningful to reach this milestone here and to bring what I have learned back into a program and population that I care so deeply about.”
At Pine Castle, we believe in seeing the whole person—not simply a diagnosis or disability. Danielle’s achievement strengthens our commitment to providing compassionate, ethical, evidence-informed mental health services that honor every individual’s story, strengths, and journey.

Congratulations, Dr. Danielle Bingham! We are incredibly proud of you and grateful for the knowledge, leadership, and heart you bring to Pine Castle. 💙🎓

A Little Bingo, A Lot of Heart! 💙✨

Taking dedication, generosity, and FUN to a whole new level! 🎉

Pine Castle is incredibly grateful for our amazing supporters, the 3Bs — Blessed, Bold & Beautiful! 💙 This extraordinary group recently shared their time, talents, generosity, and, most importantly, their hearts with our participants during a very special Bingo celebration.

But this wasn’t just any Bingo game… everyone was a winner! 🏆🎁 The 3Bs thoughtfully purchased unique and meaningful gifts for every participant in the Shop, making sure that each person had a special prize to take home.

It was a beautiful reminder that sometimes the greatest gifts aren’t wrapped—they’re found in the moments of connection, laughter, inclusion, and kindness we create together. 💙

And they’re not stopping there! The 3Bs are currently hosting a fundraiser to help share Pine Castle’s mission and vision with even more people in our community. Their passion for Pine Castle, commitment to our participants, and desire to make a difference are truly inspiring. We are so thankful to have the 3Bs in our Pine Castle family! If you want to join their campaign: https://pinecastle.org/fopc/ and add 3Bs in the comment section.

Thank you for believing in our mission, celebrating our participants, and showing us what it means to give with purpose and heart. 💙

Meet Chef Mark!

Chef Mark is a Johnson & Wales graduate with degrees in culinary and baking & pastry who has spent thirty years in the business covering all aspects of kitchen operations from cooking to sales to restaurant ownership.

He spent nearly twenty years in florida's panhandle and worked closely with the ARC of Okaloosa, formerly Horizons, and The Arc Gateway. He participated in numerous functions as a volunteer, earning the 2016 volunteer of the year award, as well as lending his talents to numerous charity events such as Arc Gateways Annual crab cake cook off charity fundraisers where he has captured numerous people's choice awards.

He has continued to be an advocate for the IDD community by employing participants in his restaurants, and continually providing leadership, mentorship and guidance for participants.

He has a strong passion and desire for providing fresh top notch food and great customer service. He's excited to continue his efforts and work in making positive changes to the menu and overall guest satisfaction as well as putting a strong focus on helping drive the pathway to employment.

Making Connections. Sharing Opportunities. 💙

Sharing resources and opportunities is an important part of Pine Castle’s commitment to YOU!

Our friends at Happy Brew are hosting a special event featuring ERZA, a veteran-owned company that created a free mobile app built by and for the blind and low-vision community. The app delivers structured, instantly itemized digital receipts straight to a user’s phone.

📱 Free event • Open to everyone!

We’re proud to share opportunities like this that promote accessibility, independence, and inclusion in our community. Be sure to check out the event details below and share with someone who may benefit!

August is “Make a Will Month” and there is no better time to consider what your legacy will be and how your life will impact those you love and causes you care about. And – if you don’t create a life plan in a will or trust, those decisions won’t be made by you. Someone else, like the courts or heirs who may not know what you wanted will decide! Whether you have a current will that needs updating, or have never created one, you are not alone. Most people are in your shoes and never take the next step. We’re here to help.

To get started, visit the “Learn About Wills” section of our Legacy Gift Planning website.

There you’ll find lots of information to help you understand the process and how simple it is. We have an easy-to-use Estate Planning Guide with all the information you need to create the plan that’s right for you. We also have a free Will Making tool to create a will you can use immediately or take to an attorney.

Thank you for your dedicated support and considering Pine Castle in your legacy plans. If you’ve already included plans for Pine Castle, visit our Evergreen Legacy Society page and become a valued Founding Member today! One of our wonderful legacy society members, Diane Young, remembered us in her will and left a legacy that benefits all our participants every day they’re at Pine Castle.

Visit pinecastlelegacy.org for more information.