Southport Magazine

What: A Taste of Brunswick County
When: Thursday, October 23rd
6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Where: Dinah E. Gore Fitness and Aquatics Center, 210 College Rd. NE, Bolivia
Cost: $100/person; group seating discounts available
Info: www.cisbrunswick.org

Communities in Schools of Brunswick County, with the goal of helping kids succeed in school and prepare for life, is happy to announce the 13th Annual Benefit Gala for Children. The event will be held on Thursday, October 23rd from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Dinah E. Gore Fitness and Aquatics Center in Bolivia.

Guests for the gala will be given the red-carpet treatment upon arrival and  have the pleasure of feasting their eyes on the mouth-watering cuisine prepared for this year’s event. The gala is fortunate enough to have the finest restaurants in the surrounding areas to cater with their talented chefs and delectable dishes. The restaurant locations range from Shallotte to Calabash and Southport to Oak Island. The restaurants will include: The Purple Onion, Baked with Love, Ports of Call, Fishy Fishy Cafe, Coastal Catering, Angelo’s Pizzeria & Bistro, Bella Cucina, Boundary House, Yacht Basin Eatery, Sunset Slush, Crazy Cake Chicks, Side Street Bakery, Burney’s Bakery, and SweeDeePie Cheesecakes.

Papa John’s of Southport/Oak Island was generous enough to offer the Teen Court and Brunswick Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) students with a craft services area.

Menu items guests are sure to see include beef bourguignon on rosemary toast, truffles, decadent pastries, scrumptious local seafood, an assortment of cheeses, fruits, bountiful salads, and much more. With the restaurants on board, the menu is sure to please and will also give recognition to these businesses. Guests who may have never eaten at some of these places will have a chance to taste their food.

“The mission of Communities in Schools is to surround students with a community of support,” Rhiannon Wagoner, Events Coordinator for Communities In Schools of Brunswick County, describes. “We want to empower students to stay in school and to achieve in life.”

Communities In Schools was founded in the 1970s on the belief that “programs don’t save children—relationships do.” It is the nation’s most effective community-driven organization built to give students a fighting chance for success and to be able to live a bountiful life.

Last year’s event raised over $100,000 and the organization hopes to do the same this year. “Our programs depend heavily on the success of the gala,” Wagoner says. Each gala ticket is $100, and participants of this event have the option of becoming bronze, silver, gold, platinum or diamond sponsors.

“Funds generated from the gala support students and families throughout Brunswick County with Communities In Schools programs such as Actions for Success drop-out prevention, afterschool programs, teen and peer courts, Adopt-A-School volunteer program, parenting education, and academic scholarships.”

This event relies on the community and local business support, sponsorships and donations. The volunteers that so generously donate their time and money to these children are who not only sponsor the children but also these programs as well.

A gala would not be as grand without entertainment, and Communities In Schools has arranged for Raleigh’s The North Tower Band to perform this year as well as local artist Ricky Evans who will be offering a piece of his artwork off for live auction.

The North Tower Band is one of the South’s greatest party bands that has been performing oldies, beach and funk music for over 35 years. The band’s artists are made up of: band leader Larry Dean, Chuck Canady, Jeff Hinson, Johnny Hopkins, Gerald Davis, Mark Bost, and Steve Davis.

Ricky Evans, known for his artwork of lighthouses, is a self-taught artist and photographer. Beginning his work in 1989, Evans has painted lighthouses from the Carolinas and Georgia, starting out first with the lighthouses in the Outerbanks. Along with his eye-capturing paintings, he now how has added fine digital photography to his many talents while capturing his local environment.

Along with The North Tower Band and artist Ricky Evans, the event will also include WECT’s Jon Evans as the MC for the evening and local auctioneer Allan McDowell.

Tickets and more information concerning becoming a sponsor can be found on Communities In School’s website at www.cisbrunswick.org/events.