It may have all the trappings of a party — dinner, drinks and dancing — but the Junior Service League of Beaufort BBQ is much more than just an evening of fun. The annual springtime shindig raises money for women and children in need and other nonprofit organizations serving families in the area.

“It’s a party for a good cause,” said event chairman Amanda Sutcliffe-Jones. “It allows us to provide grants to groups that help improve the lives of women and children right here in our own community.”

[caption id="attachment_10606" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/JSLB-BBQ-7.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-10606" alt="JSLB members Jennifer Wallace Sarathy, Amy Geier, Mary Lohr, Kasey Myers, and Kristin Bendle at the 2012 BBQ." src="http://www.yourislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/JSLB-BBQ-7-300x225.jpg" width="300" height="225" /></a> JSLB members Jennifer Wallace Sarathy, Amy Geier, Mary Lohr, Kasey Myers, and Kristin Bendle at the 2012 BBQ.[/caption]

The eighth annual JSLB BBQ takes place from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 13, at the historic Arsenal on Craven Street in downtown Beaufort. This year’s dinner will be catered by Hawg Wild Barbeque of Ridgeland and will feature pulled pork, coleslaw, baked beans, green beans, rolls and dessert. An open bar also will be available.

The Coastal Breeze Band from Columbia will be playing a wide range of music. A large dance floor will be set up under a tent in the Arsenal courtyard.

As is tradition, the event will include a silent auction with such items as a weekend getaway to Savannah’s historic Hampton Inn, a round of golf for four at the Callawassie Golf Club, Botox treatment by Weniger Plastic Surgery and a two-hour fly-casting lesson from Captain Owen Plair. Proceeds raised from the auction and event will be donated to local charities.

Each spring, the JSLB solicits requests for grants from organizations and agencies that support women and children in the Beaufort area. Requests may be sent to jslbft@yahoo.com.

With proceeds from last year’s fundraiser, the league was able to donate a total of $4,000 to organizations that included the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA), Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse (CODA), AMIkids and the Born to Read program.

“The BBQ is our only fundraiser of the year,” Sutcliffe-Jones said. “We’re hoping to exceed last year’s proceeds so we can provide more grant money to groups that really need it.”

Tickets are $40. They can be purchased from any JSLB member, online at www.juniorserviceleagueofbeaufort.org or by calling Ticket Manager Lindsay Gifford at (843) 252-1477.
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