Mint Hill Women’s Club Hosts Second Annual Sip, Savor, Support Fundraiser
MINT HILL, NC - The Mint Hill Women’s Club’s second annual Sip, Savor, Support fundraiser saw record-breaking attendance on Thursday, February 24, at Pine Lake Country Club, raising well over their goal of $20k to support local nonprofit organizations.
The event featured 30 different raffle baskets valued at up to $90, a “cork pull” featuring 80 wine bottles valued at up to $85, and 85 separate silent auction items, several with values above $500. Some highlights of the silent auction included a unique, handmade glass vessel made by 16-year-old Mint Hill resident Elijah Kell, a Marcus Hamilton original, several sets of tickets for sporting events coupled with signed memorabilia, 13 pieces of pottery, and 19 pieces of artwork.
For guests who didn’t want to get wrapped up in a bidding war, the Women’s Club sold bundles of donated restaurant gift cards at face value. All guests enjoyed tasting eight different wines and two different local beers as well as delicious appetizers courtesy of Messer Financial Group.
The success of Sip, Savor, Support is due in large part to the many local businesses, organizations, and individuals who contributed items for the Silent Auction and raffle. In a time that’s been challenging for many small businesses, it’s a testament to the generosity of Mint Hill’s business leaders that the Women’s Club was able to bring in 45 donations from new merchants who have not participated in the past
“We're just excited to be part of the Mint Hill community!” said Denise Boston from Chick-fil-A Mint Hill & Albemarle Road, one of many local businesses represented in the Silent Auction. “Whatever's going on, we're happy to donate, help, attend - whatever we can do.”
The first Sip, Savor, Support event took place in February of 2020, just weeks before everything shut down for COVID. In the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic with access to vaccines still limited, the Women’s Club was unable to host the fundraiser in 2021. With COVID rates falling in the wake of the Omicron surge, many people in attendance Thursday remarked on how wonderful it was to be out in the community again.
“It's nice to be out again and to be socializing!” said Joy Greear, President of Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center. “I was thinking the other day that at the last event, I sat with Jerry Helms and his wife Rachel, and then we shut down for the pandemic, and I didn't see them in person again until just a couple of weeks ago.”
“Tonight has not only been a chance to reconnect,” continued Greear, “it's a great fundraiser! The community supports us at Novant, and we like to support them. I’m excited to see everybody out offering Mint Hill their support.”
“I'm excited to support a local nonprofit,” agreed Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Paige McKinney. “I volunteer for the organization, and I believe in their core beliefs, but it's also great to be with everybody in the community. We at the Chamber love to support all our members.”
Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center was one of the event’s major corporate sponsors responsible for printing tickets, wine cards, and posters; providing sporting event tickets and memorabilia; and providing gift bags for VIP guests. Other corporate sponsors included Messer Financial, who provided the delicious appetizers for the evening, and the Mint Hill Times and Ellison Technology, who each sponsored a wine tasting.
The Women’s Club promised a “star studded” evening packed with Mint Hill’s finest, and it did not disappoint. In attendance were several of Mint Hill’s politicians, including Mayor Brad Simmons, Mayor Pro-Tem and Mint Hill’s longest-serving Commissioner Dale Dalton, and Mint Hill’s newest Commissioner Twanna Henderson. “It’s not very often you get a lot of politicians in the room someplace when it's not election time!” joked Simmons to the crowd.
“Anytime I can support Mint Hill is great,” said Henderson when asked why she was excited to be at Sip, Savor, Support. “I've never participated in this particular event before, so I was excited just to see how it was. I know that the Mint Hill Women's Club does a lot of good outreaches and supports the community, and so I really want to just support them.”
“I'm excited to be here because the Women's Club does such a great job for Mint Hill,” said Simmons. “They work themselves to death raising funds every year, and all the money that they raise stays in the Mint Hill Community. Mint Hill doesn’t realize all the ways that we benefit from the things the Women's Club does because they go out and work hard, and they’re not always there for the photo op, but they're there to make sure that the community gets what they need.”
Also in attendance were representatives from several of the Women’s Club’s beneficiary organizations, like Blessed Assurance, Bright Blessings, Servant’s Heart and Honor the Warriors. Guests were encouraged to seek out these representatives and learn more about the important work they do in the Mint Hill community.
“It's amazing to be here,” said Rochelle Williams from Servant’s Heart. “The Mint Hill Women's Club is a strong supporter of Servant's Heart. They have supported our seasonal programs since 2017, and it's just an honor to be here to represent Servant's Heart and to continue to work alongside this organization.”
The event drew guests from all walks of life in Mint Hill, including a small group of members from the MOMS Club of Mint Hill. “As members of another local club, we felt this event was not only a great cause but a way to show our support for another local group with a similar mission to ours,” said Christine Schlub. “Sip, Savor, Support was nothing short of impressive! Looking around the room, you can see the Women’s Club is well-supported and loved in our community. It’s great to see so many people and businesses that wanted to participate in the auction.”
Ultimately, the second annual Sip, Savor, Support was a huge success. “We grossed well over our goal of $20K with record attendance,” said Co-President Andree West. “Thanks again goes to Roy Messer, Messer Financial, and Pine Lake Country Club for allowing us to take over their banquet facilities for two days with a staff that went beyond expectations. Thanks also goes to the 102 merchants and artisans who donated items for us to auction. We’re grateful for all the Mint Hill Women’s Club members who graciously worked our event, for Soundtastics Sound for keeping things lively, and for the community of Mint Hill for opening their wallets to support our local nonprofits. We look forward to having this event again next year!”
Article Written by: Mary Beth Foster
