ASHEVILLE Jazz pianist Deanna Witkowski will perform in a house concert to benefit UNC Asheville music scholarships at 7 p.m. Feb. 18. Witkowski has appeared on NPRs Piano Jazz with Marian McPartland, has toured internationally with vocalist Lizz Wright and performs with the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra as well as in solo concerts.
The concert will take place at the Biltmore Forest home of Doris and Ralph Loomis; directions will be provided to ticket buyers. Tickets are $42.80, including tax. RSVP to rsvp@unca.edu or contact Sallie Broach at sbroach1@unca.edu or 232-2407.
ASHEVILLE The Land of the Sky Chorus has begun its annual sale of Singing Valentines in Buncombe, Henderson and Haywood counties.
Prices for various packages start at $40 for a live quartet, flowers, hand-carved wooden heart pins, hand-dipped chocolates and show tickets.
A portion of the funds raised through this event, and performances throughout the region, goes toward supporting music education in schools. This is the 12th year the chorus has offered singing Valentines.
Deliveries will be Thursday and Friday. To order call 866-290-7269 or visit www.ashevillebarbershop.com.
ASHEVILLE The Southern Appalachian Repertory Theatre will host its second annual Hearts for SART fundraiser at 7 p.m. Friday at the Masonic Temple, 80 Broadway St., including a buffet of desserts and beverages, raffle prizes and a silent auction.
The evening will feature actress Mary McGahren and actor Jon Menick, a recent guest star on TVs Nashville and in the soon-to-be-released movies Endless Love and Captive, presenting selections from the Broadway play Love Letters.
Tickets are $15 at http://sartplays.org.
SALUDA The Saluda Small Town Main Street Promotions Team will host a Valentines party 5-8 p.m. Friday at the Saluda Fire & Rescue Department, 199 Walnut Drive off Greenville Street.
The event will support the Saluda Small Town Main Street Amphitheater Fund, raising money to construct a new amphitheater at Top of the Grade at McCreery Park, and the Fire & Rescue Department.
Tickets are $25, or $15 for ages 5-12, available at Cathy Jackson Realty or Historic Thompsons Store or by calling Terry Baisden at 749-3789.
Dinner entree will be a choice of steak or chicken (all children get chicken), baked potato, salad, rolls, drinks and dessert. The band R&R will play 60s music and rock n roll. A red rose will be given to all the ladies present at the end of the party.
If Polk County or Saluda schools close that day due to inclement weather, the Valentines party will be Feb. 21.
ASHEVILLE The Asheville Racquet Club hosts the annual Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Meals on Wheels of Asheville and Buncombe County 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, including a jump or dive into the outdoor swimming pool, plus lunch.
An estimate 30 polar bears dressed in costumes will leap off the diving board. Each bear raises money prior to the plunge. Jumpers typically include Buncombe County Commissioner David Gantt and Sheriff Van Duncan.
The Polar Bear Plunge is open to anyone age 17 or older, or age 13-16 with parental consent, who is willing to raise at least $150 and brave the icy water. The public is invited to attend. Lunch is available to everyone for $7.
To learn more, call the club at 274-3361 or Meals on Wheels at 253-5286. Sponsor your favorite jumper at mowabc.org.
BLACK MOUNTAIN The Black Mountain Presbyterian Church Mission Coffee House will begin at 5 p.m. Feb. 16 at White Horse Black Mountain, 105C Montreat Road, to benefit Black Mountain Pastoral Care and Counseling Center.
Scheduled performers include Andy Gwynn, Will Straughan, Aaron Price, David Hecking, Cheri Cagle and Peter Ainsley. Admission is free but donations are accepted. Desserts, coffee and other drinks will be available for purchase.
To learn more, call 669-0816.
A monthlong campaign at Belk stores this month will raise funds for the American Heart Association. The campaign is titled Our Heart to Yours and is timed to American Heart Month.
Belk offers 20-percent-off coupons for sale merchandise Feb. 2-8 for each $1 or larger donation. Customers also receive 20 percent off purchase regular and sale-priced items with limited exclusions on Feb. 3 for Healthcare Appreciation Day and on Feb. 25 for Healthy Living Day.
In addition, each store will create a Wall of Hearts where, with a donation of $1 or more, customers can honor a friend or relative with a personalized heart.
Online donations are accepted at http://belk.com/heart, where healthy living advice can be found. All funds raised through will support the AHAs My Heart My Life initiative.
ASHEVILLE Sponsor Asheville Ford is supporting the nonprofit Hearts With Hands Feed the Children program with a raffle for a 2014 Ford Mustang. Tickets are $100 and only 1,500 will be sold.
Taxes on the car will be paid by Hearts With Hands.
Purchase tickets online at heartswithhands.org or call 667-1912 or toll free 855-435-7494. Or mail a check to P.O. Box 6444, Asheville, NC 28816. Maximum of seven tickets per person.
ASHEVILLE The OpenDoors of Asheville Art Affair 2014, with the theme One Night in New Orleans, begins at 7 p.m. March 1 at The Venue, 21 N. Market St., downtown. A VIP pre-party and auction preview begins at 6 p.m.
OpenDoors works to help eliminate child poverty in Asheville by breaking the cycle of multigenerational poverty through education, enrichment and opportunity.
The event is timed to Mardi Gras (March 4). New Orleans is famous for the qualities we admire of perseverance, diversity, cultural awareness and commitment to improvement, said Open Doors executive director Jen Ramming. All funds raised by the gala will directly support ongoing, life-changing work to help eliminate multigenerational poverty right here in Asheville.
Ramming launched OpenDoors in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, inspired in part by wanting to help a displaced New Orleans child who was evacuated to Asheville. He was in third grade but couldnt even read basic words, she said. Today dozens of local children in similar situations receive daily support and enrichment opportunities through OpenDoors programs and services.
The evening will include silent and live auctions of art, travel opportunities and other items, food and drink from Asheville restaurants and Mardi Gras-themed beer from Asheville Brewing Co.
Tickets are $75, or $125 for VIP admission, with early admission, signature cocktails, preferred seating and more. Learn more at opendoorsasheville.org or contact Katey Schultz at katey.schultz@gmail.com.
WAYNESVILLE The Wildlife Club at Haywood Community College is hosting its eighth annual Wild Game Dinner at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. at the Haywood County Fairgrounds. The dinner is a fundraiser to support a student trip to the Southeastern Wildlife Conclave, a wildlife student scholarship and additional opportunities for students to learn at other meetings.
Tickets are $10; $5 if you bring a dish. There will be entertainment, calling competitions, door prize drawings and silent and live auctions. Bring a wild game dish, vegetables and/or dessert. Bread and drinks will be provided. Ages 11 and younger eat free. To learn more, call 627-4560.
HENDERSONVILLE Thrive staff member Michael Koslow plans to hike the 2,633-mile Pacific Crest Trail beginning in April as a fundraiser for the Clubhouse program. Koslow is seeking donations for each mile hiked; he aims to raise $10,000.
Thrive is a local nonprofit dedicated to helping adults with severe and persistent mental illnesses. The Clubhouse offers day programs to aid education, employment and other social activities.
Anyone interested in contributing may direct donations by check to Thrive, with the memo line Thru-hike for Thrive. To learn more, visit thrive4health.org or call 697-1581. Koslow will report from his journey live on the Thrive Facebook page at thrive4health.
ASHEVILLE From fall through winter, the Salvation Army Center of Hopes home less shelter is filled almost every night. Clients often take the blankets with them when they leave, which the Salvation Army does not discourage. As a result, the group needs more donated blankets.
Bring the blankets to The Salvation Army, 204 Haywood St. For information, call 253-4723.