Sip & Shop Girls’ Night Out Boutique Oct 24

As part of the Experience Greenwich Week, the Sip & Shop Girls’ Night Out Boutique at Innis Arden Golf Club will be held Wednesday, October 24, 2018. More than 30 local and independent businesses, many women-owned, will showcase their products and services and donate a portion of their sales to Swim Across America Fairfield County to fund breakthrough cancer gene therapy research with the Swim’s beneficiary, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy (ACGT). Products and services include wine and food tastings, home décor, men’s and women’s fashions, jewelry, accessories, beauty products and more. The Sip & Shop event is open from 6:00 - 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 24, at Innis Arden Golf Club, 120 Tomac Avenue, Old Greenwich. Admission is free. No denim is permitted. To learn more, visit: sipandshop2018.eventbrite.com.

“Greenwich is home to a vibrant community of moms who met when their children were young, often before starting their own ventures.” said Nancy Carr, one of the organizers of the Sip & Shop Girls’ Night Out Boutique. “Just as they taught their children the value of cooperation and teamwork, these women are supporting each other to make everyone more successful. As parents who have volunteered in the past and continue to do so, these moms also realize the importance of giving back to the community.”

Roseann Sarica Benedict is also a co-organizer of the event. Roseann and Nancy met more than 20 years ago when their youngest children were in nursery school. After years as stay-at-home moms they’ve taken their talents from PTA and other volunteer activities to local business pursuits, with Roseann working as a realtor for William Raveis Real Estate and Nancy as a personal stylist with J.Hilburn custom menswear.

“We created the first Sip & Shop event in 2016 to bring together and foster the business ventures of these moms we’ve met along the way,” said Roseann. “Through these events, we are able to raise money for Swim Across America Fairfield County, a local charity that supports gene therapy research to fight cancer – a disease that has touched too many of our friends.”

After serving as a land volunteer for the first time at the Swim Across America Fairfield County event in 2016, Nancy was eager to do more. She reached out to her entrepreneurial mom network and the women were instantly on board to be a part of the first Sip & Shop in 2016. Michele Graham, part of this network of working moms, knows first-hand how important these fundraisers and organizations are. Her daughter Nicole was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia while she was 16 at Greenwich High School; after being cancer-free for several years, Nicole recently relapsed in the beginning of 2018 and is now recovering from a recent stem cell transplant. Michele Graham and fellow parent of a teenage cancer survivor, Lorrie Lorenz, are the co-chairs of Swim Across America Fairfield County.

“Anywhere and anyone who can help support the breakthrough research through Swim Across America and our local beneficiary ACGT is making a huge difference in helping to find a cure,” said Michele Graham. “The Sip & Shop Boutique is a wonderful and creative way to have a good time, be introduced to local mom-trepreneur’s businesses and defeat cancer.”

Some of the women-owned businesses owned or represented by local moms include: habitatgreenwich, In2Design, Millianna, Monogram Mary, Paper & Stitch, Therese Custom Designs, Too Sparrows, Turq Sport, Walker & Wade, Wick & Laz. Tastings will be provided by Putnam & Vine of Greenwich and COBS Bread, opening soon in Riverside.

To help promote Greenwich as the premier place to live, work and play, the organizers timed the Sip & Shop Boutique to coincide with Experience Greenwich Week happening October 22-28. This town-wide initiative features experiences, in-store promotions and restaurants specials throughout the week.

About Swim Across America Fairfield County

Swim Across America is a national organization and offers numerous open water swims across the country from Boston Harbor to under the Golden Gate Bridge. Founded by Darien Connecticut, resident Matt Vossler and his college roommate Jeff Keith in 1987, its roots are firmly anchored in Connecticut and along the shores of Long Island Sound. Swim Across America Fairfield County is in its 12th year “making waves to fight cancer.” To learn more, visit swimacrossamerica.org/greenwich, or on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @SAAGreenwich.

About Experience Greenwich Week

Shop, dine and explore all Greenwich has to offer during Experience Greenwich Week, happening October 22 - 28. For more information visit experiencegreenwichweek.com.