Calendar of Events

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday. This year, we are raising $10,000 to fix the Hominy Creek Trash Trout so that we can continue to #CleanAVL.

The impact of this update will allow the Hominy Creek Trash Trout to weather the challenges of its location – frequent flooding, sediment, and huge influxes of litter (thanks to the transfer station and overhead highways).

Tomorrow is #GivingTuesday. This year, we are raising $10,000 to fix the Hominy Creek Trash Trout so that we can continue to #CleanAVL.

The impact of this update will allow the Hominy Creek Trash Trout to weather the challenges of its location – frequent flooding, sediment, and huge influxes of litter (thanks to the transfer station and overhead highways).

“SHOPPING WITH A PURPOSE”
THE 44th BIZARRE BAZAAR CHARITY EVENT
TO BENEFIT OPERATION HEALING FORCES

Richmond’s annual Bizarre Bazaar event is recognized nationally as one of the top craft shows in the country. Every year, the night before this grand four day event begins, a charity is given the opportunity to participate and raise awareness and funds for their organization. Operations Healing Forces (OHF) has been selected again this year. OHF benefits the men and women in the Special Forces segment in every branch of the military, through therapeutic retreats. These highly trained soldiers need our help to adjust back to their civilian lives and be combat ready to protect our country.

If you’re a regular at the Bizarre Bazaar, or a first time shopper consider attending the preview party the night before. Your tax deductible donation will help our military elite who are sent all over the world on missions that we will most likely never hear about but are critical to our safety. OHF soldiers have been sent to as many as 76 countries on thousands of missions.

The Richmond International Raceway is transformed into a shopper’s paradise. Over 450 vendors open their booths selling everything from soup to nuts. Unique gifts include seasonal items, gourmet food, designer women and children’s clothing, toys, fine crafts, jewelry and one of a kind artwork.

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, December 4th, 2019. The $125 per person Express VIP Party will begin at 4:30PM; and VIP guests paying $100 will be admitted entry at 5:00PM. Then $50 per person General Admission event will open at 6:00PM. VIP’s will be the first in the door to view and purchase one-of-a-kind crafts & gifts along with an unlimited bar and upscale menu. The $50 ticket entitles you to two drink tickets and a variety of finger foods to nibble on while you shop. The event is attended annually by over 30 thousand people over a four day period. This exclusive, one night shopping experience will provide the opportunity to see and purchase all of the items on display while supporting a very worthy cause. Your tax deductible donation to attend the charity event is a beautiful way to kick off the holiday season and make a difference in someone else’s life.

98% of OHF respondents believe their relationship with their partner improved following the retreat. 96% reported that the OHF retreat aided in their personal recovery.

Event sponsors include Markel Corporation, Davenport & Company, Boost Branding, and Bryan & Hunter Kornblau.

Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.operationhealingforces.org/tickets or at www.bizarrebazaar.com. Attendance is limited so purchasing tickets in advance is highly recommended.

Giving Challenge Issued: Gifts to Pisgah Legal Services Matched Through Dec. 31

To help meet the needs here in our mountain region, generous donors have created the “Campaign for Justice in WNC” Giving Challenge. All gifts made to Pisgah Legal Services by December 31^st will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $150,000.

Giving online is fast, easy and secure at www.pisgahlegal.org/give or contact Development Director Ally Wilson by phone at 828-210-3444 or via email: [email protected].

If you need help, call Pisgah Legal Services at 828-253-0406 or toll free at 800-489-6144 or visit www.pisgahlegal.org.

Across the country, schoolchildren place their hands over their hearts and recite “with liberty and justice for all,” an ideal in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance professing that justice should be accessible to everyone. In criminal cases, legal assistance is a right. Unfortunately, there is no such right to counsel in civil legal matters, and most low-income Americans are forced to go it alone.

A recent study by The Pew Charitable Trusts shows that about 1 in 3 households in the U.S. faced housing, family or debt issues in 2018, suggesting that Americans could benefit from more assistance with civil legal issues. Those numbers increase dramatically for low-income people. A 2017 study shows that 86 percent of civil legal problems reported by low-income Americans received inadequate or no legal help.

Pisgah Legal Services Stands for Justice for People in Western North Carolina (WNC)

For more than 40 years, nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) has provided free civil legal aid to help low-income people seek justice and meet their basic needs. 

“Folks who live in low-income households regularly experience problems that can be addressed with a civil legal aid attorney by their side: stopping domestic violence, accessing veterans’ benefits, escaping poor housing conditions, and securing health care for example,” says Pisgah Legal Executive Director Jim Barrett.

He continues, “Lawyers are powerful allies who can tackle the issues that keep people locked into poverty, trapped in abusive situations and living in substandard conditions, but we need support from the community to do so. We hope folks will make a gift to help their neighbors in need by the end of the year, because at Pisgah Legal we believe that justice is for everyone, not just those who can afford it.”

Last year PLS served more than 16,800 people across the mountain region. The nonprofit’s main service area includes eight WNC counties, with offices in Asheville, Brevard, Hendersonville, Marshall, Rutherfordton and Spruce Pine. PLS has 27 attorneys on staff and relies heavily on the pro bono legal services of more than 300 volunteer attorneys.

The AIR Passport is your buy-one-get-one (BOGO)* ticket to some of Buncombe County’s highly acclaimed independent restaurants. Visit an old favorite or try a new member of the area’s vibrant independent restaurant community. AIR Passports make great gifts, but they go fast.

The AIR Passport offers BOGO from 60 area eateries with discounts up to $15 per participating restaurants. All proceeds from the AIR Passport go to benefit the ongoing efforts of AIR to keep Asheville’s food scene eclectic and authentic.

“It is one of our largest fundraisers of the year,” Anderson said.  “We are able to use these funds throughout the year for educational classes,  events and other opportunities for our members and their staff.”

Participating restaurants in the 2020 AIR Passport: