Inside Farewell to Summer Foundation’s Annual LGBTQ+ Fundraiser

When my high school bestie left me a FaceTime voicemail asking if I wanted to be her +1 for a charity event, I sat on the invitation for over a month.

Am I the only introvert who immediately hears “networking” and “stuffy” when someone says “fundraiser?” The invitation, luckily enough, painted quite a different picture:

“You are invited to immerse yourself in an evening of intrigue and elegance at our Garden Party in White in the Garden of Good and Evil … ‘Truth is stranger than fiction,’ and on this enchanting night, we invite you to be part of a tale woven with charm and mystique’… By invitation only: Garden Chic in White attire … We anticipate a night filled with whispered secrets and southern grace, just as in Savannah’s fabled squares.”

White after Labor Day and an exclusive peek into the Garden of Eden that is the who’s who of the Queen City and beyond? It was giving peak Brat summer finale and a warm welcome to a very demure, very revolutionary fall. Just like that, my interest was piqued. Like Eve, I had to take a bite of the apple.

If you know you know, but if you don’t it’s because you weren’t invited (for 40 years!). Every September, the Farewell to Summer (FTS) Foundation hosts what it calls the largest LGBTQ+ fundraiser in North Carolina.

In true rebel spirit, the all-white dress code pays homage to the event’s subversive roots, blending non-conformist elegance with a bold commitment to advocacy and a dash of mystery.

My dark Halloween heart craved a chance to dress up like Valak, the sinister nun wearing all black in The Conjuring. I opted to be a “good girl” and squeezed into what I described as a “hot little white jant,” a backless maxi.

But my Spanx said, “Tell the truth, shame the devil,” as I attempted to conceal the decadent lifestyle of the Greek goddess I tried to embody. Pillowy princess in white and gold it is.

As we entered the roundabout at the Mint Museum on Randolph Road during sunset, I felt an excitement akin to entering the pearly gates. High-energy rhythms pulsed, strobe lights danced, and bubbles swirled into the sky as we stepped out of our Uber and into the Garden of Good and Evil.

In the center of the massive museum lawn, a giant posh tent waited patiently for the swelling crowd of partygoers clad in cream and “theme” to indulge at the open bar. The shared energy of fly-as-hell attitude, gratitude and, of course, servitude — which could be immediately felt and permeated every nook and cranny we walked toward.

Speaking of servitude, this year’s beneficiaries were two Charlotte-based nonprofits, RAIN, which is dedicated to supporting individuals affected by HIV/AIDS; and Time Out Youth, a local safe space and organization that offers programs, services and support for LGBTQ+ youth.

My girlfriend introduced me to her plug, Jamie Hildreth, a childhood friend. As fate would have it, he was also the chair of the Social and Beneficiary committees for the FTS Foundation, and I had 1,000 questions!

Much like every fairy tale has heroes, villains, and marginalized figures, my new friend Jamie gave me the BTS on the FTS Foundation and its story of how a radical few turned grassroots activism into a million-dollar revolutionary ritual that you can only experience if you make the list!

Me: How did this event come about?

Jamie Hildreth: This event started in response to the AIDs epidemic. People were suffering and no one was doing anything about it. So the gay community came together to try and solve [the problem]. The first garden party was in 1984. A group of friends [began hosting casual] backyard [fundraisers] each September [encouraging] their guests to wear white. Three years later the group decided to formalize the event, officially establishing the Farewell to Summer Foundation…Since then, the event has grown in size and popularity [raising a million dollars for beneficiaries selected by the FTS Board].

Why white?!

Wearing white began as a cheeky response to the fashion trend of not wearing white after Labor Day. It was a small but symbolic way of [resisting] the mainstream societal restraints against the LGBTQ community at the time.

How does one get invited?

It’s a strict invitation-only private event. One is invited to the party by one of the board of directors who pay for 100% of the organization’s operational costs. In return, the guest is encouraged to donate to one of the selected nonprofits at the event. This also means that 100% of the donations from the event go to the selected charity.

If your invite got lost in the email (again) this year, start putting in work connecting with peeps who made the list before next year. It’s truly one of the most magical fundraisers I’ve ever attended.

P.S. The theme for next year isn’t out yet, but if you get the urge to embrace the extreme, do it! I stalked both a demon wearing horns with head-to-toe red body makeup and a white Venus fly trap oddly doubling as a visual representation of ”forbidden fruit.”

Read more: Annual Camp Provides Solace for Transgender, Nonbinary Southerners (2021)