Hosted by Chapel Hillians Diane Belden, Perri Kersh, Mary Beth Grealey and Casey Saussy at the Belden home in The Oaks, the party looks like most holiday soirees. Attendees — mostly women — enjoy catching up with each other, but four nonprofits are invited to talk one-on-one with guests about their causes. And guests are encouraged to directly donate to those causes before the end of the night. This year, $13,971 was raised and will be divided among the Habit for Humanity of Orange County Women Build, the Fuel Up Program at Perry Harrison School, KidzNotes and The Women’s Center’s Career Advising Program.
Kersh and Grealey conceptualized the party standing in the parking lot of their kids’ preschool. They were tired of getting invitations to come to someone’s home and buy jewelry or cooking supplies. They wondered if that idea could apply to a more selfless cause. Their first party raised $13,000.
As the guest list has grown to almost 400 people, so has the concept. A sister party held in Raleigh last night raised $7,285 for nonprofits.
Since its inception, the Giving Party has raised more than $116,000.
Check out our slideshow of photos.
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Hosting a sister party
Posted by Joy Stutts December 08, 2011 15:03:03