NYFS presents Northshore’s Night Out: Sip, Swing and Support

All proceeds will go to support the efforts of Northshore Youth Family Services.

By Madison Miller • April 10, 2019 8:30 am

The Northshore Youth and Family Services (NYFS) is presenting its first fundraiser in more than 20 years.

NYFS has been a fixture in the Northshore community for almost 50 years. Founded in 1971, NYFS has remained dedicated to providing mental health counseling and services through school-based services, chemical dependency services and the Healthy Start parenting program.

To continue to provide these services to the community, NYFS created Northshore’s Night Out: Sip, Swing and Support, set for April 13.

Attendees can enjoy an evening of wine tasting, a silent auction, swing dancing, raffles and other activities. The event will be held at the Brightwater Center in Woodinville. KOMO’s Brian Calvert of Northwest Wine Radio will host and Purple Passion Swing Band from Rainbow City Performing Arts will perform.

The $25 admission price includes two drink tickets, hors d’oeuvres, participation in the silent auction and swing dance lessons.

The event will also feature a 50/50 raffle, a wine toss and a photo booth.

Three local organizations are sponsoring the event: Harborstone Credit Union, Visionation Woodworking and Mercedes Accounting.

According to Deb Farrar, NYFS’s executive director, the goal of the fundraiser is to relieve the “negative stigma” behind mental health.

“We wanted to create an exciting night for the community to come together, enjoy themselves and support NYFS while decreasing the negative stigma of mental illness,” she said.

Michelle Wilkinson, NYFS’s development specialist, agreed.

“Supporting mental health is so important,” she said. “We want to relieve the stigma behind mental health…we want to raise money for people to have more access to mental health resources.”

For many nonprofits such as NYFS, state and government funding streams change and those organizations are needing to ask for more community support to continue the work they do.

Both Farrar and Wilkinson said they hope Northshore’s Night Out becomes an annual fundraiser.

Although this is the first fundraising event for NYFS in many years, Wilkinson said the planning process was rewarding for the board and staff.

“It’s been amazing watching watching our board members getting really excited about this and working so hard,” she said. “It’s been amazing to see our team come together.”

Tickets are available for $25 each at Brown Paper Tickets, northshoresnight.brownpapertickets.com.

“We’re just really happy to offer people a fun night out,” Farrar said. “Many people in the Northshore area need and utilize our services and supporting NYFS ensures that our neighbors and communities receive the services they are desperately in need of.”

For more information, go to www.nortshoresnightout.com.