FAYETTEVILLE — Lynne Freeman knows she has a tough act to follow.
Freeman is the co-chairman of the Fayetteville Junior Civic League’s annual spring bash, the Big Party. As the name suggests, the Big Party has a reputation as one of the most-rockin’ charity events in Northwest Arkansas, where people party hard and raise funds even harder.
Last year’s party brought in more than $50,000. Freeman was one of the co-chairmen of the 2010 Big Party, and she is hoping this year’s soiree can raise even more - using the same casual,fun approach that has worked so well in years past.
“What we love about the event is that it’s what you would wear to go out on Dickson Street,” says Freeman, who is co-chairing this year with Lindly Storey Mikesch. “It’s very casual, a place to catch up with friends.
“I’m a little competitive, so I’d like to exceed [last year’s total].”
The Big Party is 8 p.m. to midnight Friday. This year it will be starting and ending an hour later than previous years - one of several small, but significant, changes to the event.
This year it is being switched from April to March, and it is being held at Teatro Scarpino in downtown Fayetteville. Thesilent auction, which will have items ranging from vacations to sports memorabilia, will be just a few steps from the dance floor and the band, Old School.
The music will primarily be the mix of ’80s and ’90s, a hallmark of the Big Party. However, this year the volume will be turned down - not a lot, but enough to better facilitate conversation. There will also be a tent set up outside Teatro Scarpino for guests who want to step out for a moment.
Tickets are $50 and can be bought at the door the night of the event. The event will be catered by Spring Street Grill.
Freeman says the Junior CivicLeague is hoping to draw upward of 400 people.
“One of the ‘feedbacks’ we got last year was that it was difficult to talk,” Freeman says. “Some people want to talk, and they want to catch up with friends. Other people want to dance and do the party atmosphere. What we’re trying to do this year is create an atmosphere where we can do both.”
The Big Party is the largest annual fundraiser for the Junior Civic League, a 50-member group of women that supports Fayetteville families in need by raising money for local organizations. The league was founded in 1949, and over the past 15 years, it has provided grants in excess of $500,000.
At its annual disbursement event in May, the group gave away $56,500. The total included $10,000 in scholarships to Fayetteville High School and $6,000 to the school district’s Families in Transition program.
In recent years, the league has given grants to 10 organizations, but Freeman says that because of increasedneed in the area, that number will increase to 15 this May.
“The one that hit home to me is Families in Transition this year, just because sometimes I feel like we live in little bubbles, like the economy is not hitting our market,” Freeman says. “To see the families that are affected and that we can help, it really touched me.”
Beyond benefiting local organizations financially, league members often take a hands-on approach. They are involved with the Glass Slipper Project, which provides prom dresses, hairstyling and makeup for girls who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
The league puts on a Christmas show for the Elizabeth Richardson Center, an organization that helps people with disabilities and that the league has supported for years. Members are involved with free medical clinics and have helped manage the charity resale shop My Friend’s Closet.
Women who join the league pledge six-year memberships. After those six years, most stay involved as sustainers - paying dues and supporting the league.
The league has no paid staff and annual $75 membership dues cover expenses, so every cent raised goes directly to nonprofits.
“The thing I like about theJunior Civic League is that it’s great about raising money, but we also work together on projects,” Freeman says. “It’s that old adage, ‘The more people you can get, the bigger impact you have.’” For more information on the Fayetteville Junior Civic League’s Big Party, contact Lynne Freeman at (479) 236-3739 or visit fayetteville jcl.org.
Northwest Profile, Pages 35 on 02/27/2011