Casting for Hope benefit set for Sept. 25

Casting for Hope will hold its eighth annual Hope in the Hills benefit Sept. 25 at Hidden Hill Venue in Morganton.

The event will include food, wine, music from local artists, and opportunities to support the Morganton-based nonprofit’s work with women and families across North Carolina.

Casting for Hope is celebrating 15 years of service to women in North Carolina facing gynecological cancers. Many of the organization’s earliest supporters are based in Morganton, making this year’s event a chance to mark that milestone locally.

“Hope in the Hills is always an incredibly important night for the Casting for Hope team, as it falls in September during ovarian and gynecological cancers awareness month," said co-founder and board chair Taylor Sharp. “Raising money at this event helps cover the costs of our Survivor and Caregiver Retreats, where patients from across the state come to Bakersville, N.C., for an all-expenses-paid weekend of respite, nourishing food, community with other survivors, and a chance to fly fish in trophy trout waters.”

Money raised during the event also will support Casting for Hope’s financial assistance program.

“It is a crucial time to support our organization, as the patients we serve are experiencing more financial hardship than ever before,” said Shannon Byrne, Casting for Hope’s director of patient services and retreat programming. “As of May 15, we had received more new applications than we did throughout all of 2025.”

The organization is asking the community to give generously so it can continue providing services to patients who need financial assistance.

Hope in the Hills guests can expect three sets of live music with mountain views as the backdrop. Attendees also will hear from local women and families who have benefited from Casting for Hope’s work.

Guests will receive a meal and complimentary beer and wine. The event also will include silent and live auctions featuring artisan goods and experiences, including guided fly-fishing trips and an opportunity to fly in a World War II biplane over Linville Gorge and Lake James.

Tickets are available at castingforhope.org/hope-in-the-hills.

Those interested in sponsoring the event, donating an item or experience for the auction, or volunteering may contact Casting for Hope Executive Administrator Erica Baxter at erica@castingforhope.org.

— AKC