What is there left to buy for the person who has everything? Here are some possibilities: a day at YMCA camp for a child, a book for a new reader, transportation for an elderly person, medication for a diabetic — in honor of that person who has all manner of material things.
All these things and more will be available at the Alternative Gift Fair hosted by St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church Dec. 4 and 5. While gift fairs that offer the chance to support a nonprofit in honor of the gift getter are not uncommon, this is the first to include only Loudoun nonprofits in the county.
Organizers hope the event will become an annual tradition, and for St. Gabriel's, the Rev. Jeunée Cunningham hopes it will do more for the young church, which holds its services in the auditorium at Belmont Ridge Middle School in Lansdowne.
When Cunningham addressed the St. Gabriel's congregation for the first time, she had a vision — of sorts.
"I said I wanted St. Gabriel's to be the church that is known for 'blank,"" she said. "It seems like this Alternative Gift Fair may become our signature event every year."
FOR ITS inaugural year, the gift fair will host 10 local charities, offering shoppers a chance to purchase donations to the Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation or the Loudoun Literacy Council. Prices range from $5 to $100.
By purchasing a gift in a friend's or family member's honor, the buyer will receive a card detailing what the donation will do. All of the proceeds will go to the charity — something that wouldn't have been possible without the fair's community sponsor, the Leesburg-based Severn Mortgage Corporation.
Severn Mortgage consultant Bob Miller first heard of the idea from Lyle Werner, executive director of the Loudoun Community Free Clinic, where Miller has volunteered. He had received a gift from an alternative gift fair in the past and the company agreed to sponsor the event immediately.
"I thought it was better than getting a gift certificate to the mall," Miller said. "The people that really need it get the benefit."
Werner, who acted as the nonprofit organization liaison, stressed not only the benefit the nonprofits receive but also the benefits to long-suffering relatives. "Isn't Uncle Ned tired of getting that green tie you get him every year?" she said.
Who's Involved
Ten Loudoun nonprofits are participating in the Alternative Gift Fair:
* Good Shepherd Alliance
* Loudoun Community Free Clinic
* LINK
* YMCA of Loudoun County
* Loudoun Association for Retarded Citizens
* Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers
* Loudoun Cares
* Loudoun Therapeutic Riding Foundation
* Loudoun Literacy Council
* American Red Cross, Loudoun office
When & Where
St. Gabriel's Alternative Gift Fair will be held Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Dec. 5, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the cafeteria of Belmont Ridge Middle School, 20235 Nightwatch St., Ashburn.