FOCUS:  Dining With Friends returns to the Lowcountry in 2019

By Jason Kirk, special to Charleston Currents  |  Dining With Friends is back, and party hosts all over Charleston couldn’t be more excited. On Jan. 19, 2019, hundreds of people around the greater Charleston community will host dinner parties in their homes, churches or workplaces as part of a massive fundraising effort to support the work of Palmetto Community Care.

Kirk

Party hosts and their guests will then gather together for a Grand Finale celebration with drinks, desserts and dancing at Memminger Auditorium.

The great thing about this event is it’s a low-stress commitment for party hosts. They don’t have to worry about “asking their friends for money” – the invitations provided will do all the work. Hosts just fill out their specific party information on the pre-printed invitation and send them to their friends. We’ll also have electronic invitations and online fundraising tools available for our tech-savvy friends.

We know the community has missed Dining With Friends as we hear from so many past hosts and guests who have such fond memories of this wonderful event. We’re really pleased to bring back one of Charleston’s favorite and most unique fundraising events.

And when it comes to the actual dinner – anything goes! Host a potluck, a backyard barbecue or a black-tie affair. This event is all about gathering for friends and raising money for a great cause. All donations received will benefit Palmetto Community Care and its work providing complete compassionate HIV care plus prevention education to the greater Charleston area. The money raised stays right here in the Lowcountry to support neighbors living with HIV and AIDS as well as to fight the rising HIV infection rates in our community.

Funding also supports new initiatives launched in 2018:

• A PrEP program that provides those at risk for HIV with access to medication that can prevent HIV.
• The new Truesdale Medical Center in North Charleston, a community leader in innovative, high-quality medical care for people living with HIV. This center also provides primary care for non-HIV patients, making it a valuable medical resource for an underserved community.
• Our mobile testing van that allows us to reach rural areas and people who may not have access to transportation.

Dining With Friends is much more than a dinner. It really is an opportunity for the community to come together and make a real and lasting difference in the lives of so many. We hope you’re as excited as we are about the return of this hallmark Charleston fundraiser.

Sign up now to be a Dining With Friends Host. Additional information and the sign-up form are available at www.palmettocommunitycare.org/DWF. Hosts will receive their invitation and party information packet no later than Dec. 21.

Jason Kirk is director of development and marketing for Palmetto Community Care. For questions about how to get involved in Dining With Friends, email Jason at jkirk@palmettocare.org.

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