By Pam Creech
Contributing Writer
Tables of clothes, books, new and gently used clothing and home décor will fill The Terraces on Sir Tyler during Lump to Laughter’s sixth annual Sip, Swap and Shop event, Jan. 31 from 6-10 p.m.
Before attending the fundraiser, shoppers must donate at least one new or gently used item. Drop off-locations and dates include High Tide Home (Jan. 17), Crabby Chic (Jan. 19), Monkee’s (Jan. 24) and The Terraces on Sir Tyler (Jan. 31, 9 a.m. to noon).
During the fundraiser, patrons can sip beverages paired with hors d’oeuvres and take home donated items free of charge or shop at a live auction, a silent auction, vendor booths or raffles. Jewelry from Perry’s Emporium, a Dooney & Bourke handbag and Costa del Mar sunglasses will be available for purchase.
All proceeds will benefit Lump to Laughter, a local nonprofit organization that provides emotional and financial support for breast cancer patients. Event organizer Connie Hill and her close friend, Renee Ballard, founded Lump to Laughter after receiving breast cancer diagnoses within six weeks of each other in 2003.
“We started Lump to Laughter because we couldn’t find the support we were looking for. … We wanted a place where people could feel hope and joy,” Hill said during a Jan. 12 phone interview.
Sip, Swap and Shop will fund Lump to Laughter’s Hope Packages, care packages for women who have recently been diagnosed. The packages include Hill’s memoir, “From Lump to Laughter — A Story of Grace,” and cards inscribed with Biblical scriptures. The fundraiser will also support the Angel Fund, a financial assistance program for women undergoing treatment.
“[In 2014], we sent out 70 Hope Packages and donated $7,000 through the Angel Fund,” Hill said. “This year, we hope to double what we gave last year.”
Hill hosted the first Sip, Swap and Shop event in her home.
“I had 50 people,” she said. In 2014, she hosted the fundraiser in Poplar Grove Barn; 100 shoppers helped raise $12,000. After learning the 2015 participant list will include more than 200 people, Hill moved the event to The Terraces.
“We’ve grown out of our old space,” she said.
Hill is also excited to have help from the Alpha Phi sorority and PIKE fraternity from the University of North Carolina help her set up and clean up the event.
“We’ve been blessed,” she said.
Tickets are $50. For more information on Lump to Laughter or Sip, Swap and Shop, visit www.lumptolaughter.org or email
[email protected]
