Wine & Beer Festival Raises The Bar for Fundraising October 11, 2016

Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic held its 10th Annual Lowcountry Wine & Beer Festival on Sunday, October 2. The event theme was named “A Decade of Generosity,” and also served as a tribute to late BIFMC co-founder, Dr. Arthur Booth, who passed away over the summer. Co-founder Dr. Charlie Davis reflected fondly on Dr. Booth’s life and work at what marked the 10th year of the popular fundraising event; the first year without his clinic partner.

The popular fundraising event held at Freshfields Village featured an array of wine selections supplied by Wine Bar 48, with craft brews served by local vendor Revelry Brewery. The event was catered by Crave Charleston Catering, with Bluegrass and R&B performed by local favorite The Lowhills. Clinic and local volunteers staffed the event, serving a crowd close to 500 people this year.

The large turn out, paired with the popularity of the Clinic’s “Sponsor a Patient Visit” campaign, helped BIFMC to exceed their fundraising goal for the event. All funds raised will directly benefit Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic, which serves as a free primary medical care home for adults in the community who fall below 200% of the annual federal income level and do not have access to health insurance.

Major donors for the event as well as the Clinic’s ‘Founding Pillars of Support’ over the past decade years were listed prominently under the tent in celebration of the long-running Festival to benefit Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic.

Lori Leary, member of the BIFMC Board of Directors and co-chair of the annual fundraising event, credits the popularity of the event to the altruism of the larger Charleston and Barrier Islands community and their strong desire to help others. “The Wine & Beer Fest serves as a renewal of the importance of providing for the less fortunate on our islands, our clinic’s mission,” she asserts. “It is a popular event because our supporters are compassionate about BIFMC’s medical services for our needy populace.”

Volunteers for the Clinic have also steadily increased over the past several years, a key element to raising awareness and support for the Clinic and its mission to serve the needs of the uninsured who live or work on Johns, James, or Wadmalaw Island. 

You can find Wine & Beer Festival event pictures and videos on BIFMC’s Facebook page.

A special thank you to the help and support of our vendors and friends who stocked the event: Alsco Linens, Bai Water, Charleston Sign and Banner, Cherry Point Seafood, Church of Our Saviour, Crave Charleston Catering, Fishers of Men, Harris Teeter Village Market, Hege’s, JavaJava Coffee, Revelry Brewing Company, Saffron Bakery, Sodexo, Southeast Sperry Tents, The Lowhills , The Resort Shop, Townsend Clarkson, Trish Pruitt, Marketing Manager, Freshfields Village.

Barrier Islands Free Medical Clinic provides medical care to eligible patients, just like any family practitioner or internist – but it is free. We serve uninsured adults living at or below 200 % of the Federal poverty level who live or work on Johns, Wadmalaw or James Islands. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.