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By SCOTT MIMS / Special to the Reporter

 PELHAM—A trash bag art and fashion show is the central theme of Swag the Bag, the annual fall fundraiser for nonprofit Second Shift, an organization that assists youth who are aging out of foster care.

Tickets for the third annual Swag the Bag go on sale Sept. 1, and people are encouraged to sign up soon, said Second Shift founder and Executive Director Tammy Spence.

The event is Friday, Nov. 4 at Destined Events located at 2969 Pelham Parkway beginning at 6:30 p.m. and will include special guest Brian Reaves—Birmingham’s award-winning motivational magician—and Cajun cuisine from Tasteful Touch Catering.

“Foster children have historically and traditionally used trash bags as luggage,” Spence explained. “The message this sends to them is that they and their lives have no more value than trash. By the time they age out of foster care, they often identify themselves with the value and disposable qualities of the trash bag that holds all of their possessions. ‘Swag The Bag’ allows us to re-frame that iconic symbol and into something fun and fabulous.”

Swag the Bag coincides with Homeless Youth Awareness Month and National Adoption Month in the month of November. Spence said that approximately 65 percent of older youth who leave foster care do so without identified housing and become immediately homeless. Proceeds from the fundraiser go toward helping these youth in the Shelby County area.

“Once they are out of foster care without a stable caring adult and home, they find themselves facing almost insurmountable obstacles and the outcomes are grim,” Spence said. “But what we do changes all those outcomes and gives them a chance at life that they would not otherwise have. It changes their life and the lives of their families and communities.”

A silent auction will take place during Swag the Bag. Items may be viewed in person as well as online via a link on Second Shift’s Facebook page and their website, Secondshiftalabama.org. Both the auction and trash bag art and fashion show will be presented virtually and in person with an opportunity to bid and vote on entries; contestants will be eligible to win up to $500 in prizes.

Attendees may also participate in a “dessert pull” with the purchase of an extra dessert pull ticket. Participants may take home a “mystery dessert” donated by a highly-acclaimed area bakery, restaurant or chef.

Registration for the art and fashion show is open now. Early bird event tickets go on sale Sept. 1, but the early bird discount ends Sept. 30. Tickets will be available at the regular price throughout October. To purchase tickets, register for the show or learn more, visit Secondshiftalabama.org/swag-the-bag or email LINK@secondshiftalabama.org or call 205-201-0464.