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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

Butterfly Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center in Clanton is gearing up for its 11th annual Flutter event on Feb. 2. The event has been around since the nonprofit opened its doors and has established itself in the Chilton County community.

The event is at 6th Street Warehouse at 202 Sixth Street South in Clanton from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $15 each and $25 for a couple. Tickets can be purchased at flutter.swell.gives.

The tag line for this year’s event is Flutter Changemaker.

“It means that anyone, anywhere can be a changemaker in the life of a child,” Brittani Ellison, events and development coordinator for Butterfly Bridge, said. “Just by participating and supporting Butterfly Bridge and coming to the event, you can make a difference in the life of a child through the work that we do.”

The event will feature both a live and silent auction with various items ranging from gift certificates, jewelry, a Yorkshire Terrier puppy, a 12-gauge shotgun, two tickets to the Blake Shelton concert in Birmingham on Feb. 25 and much more.

“A lot of different items, and hopefully, something for everyone,” Ellison said.

Auction items will be previewed on Butterfly Bridge’s Facebook page in the weeks leading up to the event. The silent auction items have different price points that allows everyone in attendance to get in on the bidding. Silent auction items will close at different times throughout the event. Auctioneer Tommy Glasscock will conclude the event with the live auction portion of the items.

Flutter is the largest fundraiser for Butterfly Bridge each year and is a large part of its annual budget to provide core services, which include forensic interviews, trauma-focused therapy services and family advocacy support services.

“Those are the core services that we provide for the children and their families here,” Jana Zuelzke, executive director at Butterfly Bridge, said. “This event goes completely to support those services to the children in our community.”

Live music will be performed at the event by 80s and 90s rock cover band Mack & Kilgore and heavy hors d’ouevres will be provided by Valle Grande Mexican Grill in Maplesville.

Ellison and Zuelzke said they are both excited about the upcoming event and hope it continues to be a hit within the community.

“We have been so fortunate to have such a giving community,” Zuelzke said. “This event has evolved over all these years, and we are excited to be able to have a night that is different from any other type of fundraiser in the area where we can all come together and have a good time, but also raise money for the kids and services we provide.”

Butterfly Bridge is still accepting sponsorships for the Flutter event. Sponsorship opportunities range from $100 to $2,500 and more info on the levels can be found at flutter.swell.gives/sponsors.