Sponsored by Carr, Blackwell & Associates P.C. and First Citizens Bank, “Blue Ridge & Beyond” is a fundraiser for Hendersonville Sister Cities’ “Hendersonville Student Ambassador” Travel Scholarship program – which provides financial assistance to local students studying abroad.
Guests will hear from two Hendersonville Student Ambassadors who traveled beyond their hometown of Hendersonville this summer to further their academic and career goals, and enjoy drinks and dessert inspired by the student’s travels to Italy and Jordan.
Beginning at 6 p.m., guests will have time to bid on Silent Auction packages while sipping on complimentary Prosecco drinks – a nod to Hendersonville Student Ambassador Rachel Raasch, who spent her summer studying in Florence, Italy. During the Silent Auction, guests will have the chance to bid on packages including items and experiences from Champion Hills Golf Club, Flat Rock Playhouse, Van’s Chocolates, Etowah Valley Country Club, local breweries, wineries, spas, and more local favorites.
Dinner by Hendersonville’s own Farmer’s Daughter Catering will follow an introduction by Barbara Shepard, Sister Cities International State Coordinator for North Carolina. Guests will delight in Jordanian desserts by Lina Adas at Pita Express, handpicked by Hendersonville Student Ambassador Maggie McKenzie, who just returned from Arabic language studies in Jordan.
Raasch and McKenzie, two of HSC’s first cohort of Hendersonville Student Ambassadors, will keynote the event. A junior and Journalism/Religious Studies double-major at UNC–Chapel Hill, Raasch spent four weeks at Lorenzo de’ Medici in Florence, Italy this summer, studying Italian and taking coursework applicable to her Journalism major. Also at UNC–Chapel Hill, senior McKenzie is double-majoring in Arabic and French, and spent nine weeks at the Qasid Arabic Institute in Amman, Jordan, taking advanced intensive Arabic language studies.
Tickets for “Blue Ridge & Beyond” are $45 and include complimentary “cocktail hour” Prosecco and dinner. Additional wine and beer will be available for purchase at a cash bar throughout the evening. Guests wishing to bid on silent auction items should bring checks or cash.
The event venue is located at Appalachian Coffee Company (1628 5th Ave. West, Hendersonville) Tickets can be purchased at the Hendersonville City Hall payment office (145 5th Avenue E., Hendersonville) or online under “Events” at http://www.
