Shopping for a cause

Centre College’s 15th annual Hope Springs yard sale happens Friday at Chowan Hall on the college’s campus. 

Patsi Trollinger, who has helped organize the sale for several years, said the fundraiser began when a friend with multiple sclerosis needed a little extra assistance in paying for things she needed that her insurance wouldn’t cover. 

Trollinger said the Hope Springs organization offered to help, but her friend also wanted the proceeds to help others with the same incurable disease. 

So now profits from the annual sale goes to those who have MS and have applied for a grant to assist with paying for things like building a ramp and wheelchair repairs.

Last year, however, the organization paid for repairs to the special device at the McDowell Wellness Center’s pool that gently lifts patients in and out of the pool for physical therapy. This chair didn’t only help Trollinger’s friend, but it also helped lots of people who use the machine, she said.

After grants are awarded from what’s brought in, all money leftover is spent on local issues such as hunger, child services and animal welfare, Trollinger said. She said last year’s sale brought in well over $8,000. 

Shoppers will find a little bit of everything: items for dorm rooms; vacuums; clothes; dishes; adult costumes; and artificial trees, just to name a few. 

So, if you’re looking to decorate a dorm room, need more dishes, or even want a few adult-sized costumes or a couple of artificial trees, the Hope Springs sale is the place to shop, and it’s for a good cause.

IF YOU GO 

The Hope Springs yard sale will be 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday at Chowan Hall, located at Harding Street and Perryville Road, on Centre College’s campus. All proceeds from the sale will be used to help Boyle County and the surrounding counties in several ways.