We are thrilled to be supporting LEAD Girls of North Carolina as they host their 5th Anniversary Soiree on Sunday, March 28.

A special thank you to one of LEAD Girls supporter and Executive Director Kim Varnadoe for leading the collection process. Thanks to Kim, many Artworks artists have donated works to the silent auction for this event. All details can be found at: www.leadgirls.org/2021-soiree/. Together we are changing girls’ lives! Follow on instagram at @leadgirlsofnc and view the silent auction starting 3/15/2021 here.

The full LEAD Girls Press Release:

LEAD Girls of NC Inaugural LEADher Circle and 5th Anniversary Soiree featuring Original Art from Artworks Gallery Artists at Silent Auction

Winston-Salem, NC (March 9, 2021) — LEAD Girls of North Carolina will host their 5th Anniversary Soiree on Sunday, March 28 in a virtual celebration and awards ceremony honoring the hundreds of participants, supporters, and partners of LEAD Girls over the past five years. Four LEAD girls will be recognized for their accomplishments at 5:30 p.m. All details can be found at: www.leadgirls.org/2021-soiree/.

At 7:30 p.m., the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel will honor LEAD Girls with a pink and teal lighting of their building on Main Street to represent and celebrate the organization. The sponsors for the Soiree are: The Chronicle, Truliant Federal Credit Union, M Creative, Maynard & Harris Attorneys at Law, PPL, Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, and CC Baller Creations, LLC. 

In conjunction with the soiree, LEAD Girls has launched the LEADher Circle. This Circle – which is based on the belief that every girl deserves the chance to thrive – was created in partnership with three local leaders and friends of LEAD Girls: Natalie Broyhill, Mary Jamis, and Dr. Paula Wilkins. With a donation before April 1st, supporters can join the inaugural LEADher Circle.

To further support LEAD Girls, a silent auction fundraiser will run from March 15th until March 28th at 6:30 p.m. when the auction winners will be announced. The fundraising goal for this event – to sustain its programs such as Community LEAD, LEAD Academy, the Summer Fashion Entrepreneurship Camp, and three pilot programs that began this spring – is $50,000.

“We are grateful for our village who are committed to girls thriving,” said Joy Nelson Thomas, Founder and Executive Director of LEAD Girls. “We are now halfway toward our fundraising goal. We still need additional support to help us reach our goal and allow more girls to have access to LEAD.”

While this year’s soiree will look different from years past, the virtual celebration will bring together supporters of the organization as well as girls and their families as they celebrate their perseverance and dedication during 2020.

Thanks to a special partnership with Artworks Gallery, the online silent auction will feature a dozen original pieces of artwork donated by the following artists: Wiley Akers, Woodie Anderson, Bonnie Baily-Arden, Owen O. Daniels, Lea Lackey-Zachmann, Diane Nations, Beverly Noyes, Betti Pettinati-Longinotti, Barbara Rizza Mellin, Kimberly Varnadoe, and Mona Wu. A glass fused bowl, linocut, watercolors, letterpress using the cyanotype method, and graphite are some of the mediums used with masterful detail and excellence.

In addition to original artwork featured in the Silent Auction, packages will include Family Day Trips, Date Nights, Hotel Getaways, Parents’ Nights Out, a Car Care Kit, Relaxation Fun, Baby Presents Bundle, Mystery Boxes, and more. 

Donations for the silent auction were donated by the following businesses and nonprofits: a/perture, AutoZone, Black Mountain Chocolate, Bookmarks, Brick Oven, Brookstown Inn, Camino Bakery, Canteen Still Life, Cyclebar, Dash Baseball, Duck Donuts, Fiddlin’ Fish, Finnigan’s, Fleet Feet, Flourish Fitness, Greensboro Science Center, Gwen of all Trades, Hampton Inn, Harris Teeter, Hip Chics, Home Depot, Innovative Photography, Kaleideum, Kendra Scott Jewelry, Kimpton Hotel, Living Aura Living Art, Lowes Foods, Marriott, Mast General Store, McCalls, Mellow Mushroom, Mixxer, Denise Moore, Oriental Trading Company, The Porch, Pure Barre, Rack Room Shoes, Raffaldini Vineyards, Reynolda House, River Birch, RiverRun International Film Festival, Rockin’ Jump, Salem Gymnastics, SHARP Cuterie Boards, Sheetz, The Sherwood, Starbucks, Sunny Shoes, Sunshine Beverages, Tanglewood, Trader Joe’s, Tweetsie Railroad, Urbn Grl, Village Tavern, Winston-Salem State University, Wise Man Brewing, and Younique.

About LEAD Girls of NC

Learning Everyday Accomplishing Dreams (LEAD) Girls of NC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to helping every girl thrive because every girl can. Founded in 2015, LEAD Girls works to create a world in which young girls become well-equipped, active leaders. LEAD programs focus specifically on the social, emotional and leadership development of at-risk middle-school girls in Winston-Salem. Since its inception, LEAD’s school-time and summer programs have served more than 500 girls, providing them with critical resources and skills that foster empowerment and confidence. For more information on the 5th Anniversary Soiree or to make a donation to join the LEADher Circle, please visit www.leadgirls.org/2021-soiree/