Juniper Bar & Grille at Sedona Golf Resort set to host event to support survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault
SEDONA, Ariz. — Verde Valley Sanctuary (VVS) is excited to announce its newest fundraising event this fall, our 2025 Casino Night.
Set for 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1, at Sedona Golf Resort’s Juniper Bar & Grille, 35 Ridge Trail Drive, participants will get an opportunity to play live casino games like blackjack, poker, craps and roulette. Other fun games include a Glow in the Dark Putting Contest for a prize, and the opportunity to win $300 cash from our Lucky Loot Grab Box
Tickets are $125 per person, which includes two free drinks, hors d’ouevres, and a $100 chip voucher. Attendees can purchase additional chip vouchers for $20 at registration, or three for $50, or $25 thereafter. Throughout the evening there will be a silent auction, a paddle raise, and the opportunity to purchase raffle tickets with any chip winnings at the end of the night for a prize
Entertainment is being provided by Downtown Browne Productions.
The inaugural Casino Night event will also have select silent auction items for display online for those who can’t make the event in person, but would still like to participate. The online auction is available for just $25 and bidding will begin shortly before the event Nov. 1. Visit VerdeValleySanctuary.org/casino-night for more information.
“This is a great opportunity for members of our community to come out and support survivors of domestic and sexual violence,” VVS Development and Communications Director Brian Bergner said. “We don’t host large fundraisers often, the last being our 30th anniversary gala in 2023, so we are excited to offer this great event to the public, giving them a chance to support our agency, and have some fun while doing it.”
The Casino Night menu from Juniper Bar & Grille includes:
- Crostini Caprese: Grilled focaccia toast, adorned with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, and finished with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic reduction.
- Chicken Skewers: Spicy Jamaican jerk chicken skewers.
- Smoked Salmon: Cold-smoked salmon atop dill-infused cream cheese served on a gourmet cracker.
- Chacuterie spread, soft drinks, juice and water.
VVS, whose mission is to provide safety, services, and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence, opened in 1993 and currently operates a 28-bed pet-friendly emergency shelter with 24/7/365 crisis hotline (928-634-2511), transitional housing with match savings program, lay legal advocacy, community-based advocacy, youth violence prevention education and public outreach and awareness.
Sedona Golf Resort Director of Events Caite Ecklor said she was “honored” when VVS approached their venue nearly a year ago to host a fundraiser in 2025.
“At Sedona Golf Resort and Juniper Bar & Grille, we believe in more than just hospitality — we believe in community,” Ecklor said. “The Verde Valley Sanctuary provides a safe haven, resources, and hope for women and families escaping domestic violence. Their work is vital, not only in protecting lives, but also in rebuilding them with dignity and strength.”
In fiscal year 2024-25, VVS provided services to more than 1,500 survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, including nearly 9,500 bed nights between emergency shelter and transitional housing, and almost 1,300 crisis hotline calls answered, a 28% increase from the previous year.
Ecklor said hosting this event is “deeply personal” for the staff.
“Many of our staff, guests, and community members have been impacted — either directly or through someone they love. Knowing that the Sanctuary is here — offering safety, counseling, and empowerment — means that no one in our community has to face those challenges alone,” Ecklor said, citing a recent report she read that one in four women in the United States will experience severe intimate partner violence in their lifetime. “We support the Verde Valley Sanctuary because it represents compassion, resilience, and second chances. By standing with them, we stand for a stronger, safer, and more hopeful Verde Valley.”
Ecklor continued to share that when the event was brought up with other colleagues, stories began to flow.
“The women on our team immediately began sharing their own stories — or the stories of family and friends — who have lived through this reality,” Ecklor said. “It was a reminder that this issue is not distant or abstract; it is here in our community, affecting people we know and love.”
Tickets went on sale Labor Day weekend and are going fast! They will be available through Oct. 15. Local businesses can also join in on the fun by sponsoring the event. Visit secure.qgiv.com/event/2025casinonightfundraiser to purchase tickets, participate in the online silent auction, become a sponsor or to donate to the event.
For more information, or if you would like to donate a silent-auction item for the Casino Night event, please reach out to Bergner via phone at 928-821-9409, or email Brian@VerdeValleySanctuary.org.
About
Verde Valley Sanctuary’s mission is to provide safety, services, and comfort to survivors of domestic and sexual violence. The agency began in 1993 as a grassroots organization with a leased modular home that slept six and has grown into a 28-bed emergency shelter with transitional housing options, a lay legal advocacy center, community-based advocacy support, a 24/7/365 crisis hotline (928-634-2511) and a staff that takes pride in its youth violence prevention education and public outreach and awareness. VVS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and qualifying charitable organization for the Arizona Tax Credit. Federal Tax ID: #86-071314; QCO Code: #20041. Visit VerdeValleySanctuary.org for more information.
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