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By WILLIAM MARLOW | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER – Second Shift will host its second annual Swag the Bag Fall Fundraiser in November as part of an initiative to help some of Alabaster’s most vulnerable and at-risk youth.

The organization, which provides foster care services and support to children in Shelby County, is planning the event for Nov. 7 that will include a silent auction, trash bag themed art show and an open house of auction items.

Tammy Spence, founder and executive director of Second Shift in Alabaster, described the timing of the event as fitting, as November is both National Homeless Youth Awareness Month and National Adoption Month

“We plan to present this event every year,” she said. “We believe the best way to promote both is to bring awareness of the youth who leave foster care alone.”

The upcoming event marks the second year of the Swag the Bag Fall Fundraiser, which was launched last year. Spence said she hopes the initiative becomes a community-wide tradition with proceeds from the event greatly assisting children currently in foster care, especially those transitioning into adulthood.

“When foster children get too old to be in the custody of DHR they ‘age out,’” Spence said. “Their case is closed, and they are on their own. Many times, this leaves them alone and without the resources or support they need to become a sustainably independent adult.”

Spence described this upcoming event as one of the organization’s most crucial programs of the year, and said participating in the auction and art show will help bring awareness to issues surrounding foster care as well as aid in providing emergency housing, education and mentor connections to children in need.

“What we do prevents homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, human trafficking and the repeated cycle of foster care,” she said. “When we ‘Link to the Life’ of a youth leaving foster care, it changes the trajectory of their life forever.”

Since founding four years ago, Second Shift has assisted more than 500 children and youth statewide, with a local caseload of between 20-30 children in Shelby County.

The art show will be open to the public and will feature competitive prizes, while the silent auction will be held virtually on Nov. 1 and remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Nov. 7. The open house viewing of auction items and art show entries will occur on Nov. 7 from noon-3 p.m. at Second Shift’s Alabaster office, located at 101 Aviators View Drive.

Attendees can register for the event by emailing Link@secondshiftalabama.org or by completing the form on their website at Secondshiftalabama.org/swag-the-bag.

For anyone unable to attend, financial gifts can be donated online at Secure.givelively.org/donate/second-shift?fbclid=IwAR2plMv85O9x9TEJZ8v8Lcgd63MB8zlZdBDEDtXJ-2IPvdlCnP1ayyYlig0.

The open house is a walk through viewing of the art entries and auction items. Admission for the event is free.