YW's 4th Annual Cookies, Cocktails & A Cause Fundraiser to be Hosted by Nielsen's

DARIEN, CT – November 5, 2012 – The YWCA Darien/Norwalk has planned their Annual Cookies, Cocktails and a Cause Ladies Night for Thursday, December 6th at 7:30pm at Nielsen's Florist at 1405 Post Road in Darien. Non-members and members are invited to attend this cookie swap and cocktail party benefit that will be held from 7:30-9:30. Advance ticket purchase is required at the YWCA Darien/Norwalk website.

Event festivities include a holiday cookie swap (which is optional) and cookie contest for those who bring a recipe which will be judged by Michael Joseph's team of chefs and managers. Wine provided by Nicholas Roberts and other beverages will be served along with delicious hors d'oeuvres prepared by Michael Joseph's. Women who bring cookies for the swap and contest can take home an assortment of the cookies from other attendees. Attendees can also get a head start on their holiday shopping at Nielsen's gift counter while they enjoy the festivities.

One of the highlights of the event will be a raffle of fantastic prizes generously donated by local merchants including Barrett Books, Becker Salon in Greenwich, Jade Nails, Stork Supper (private dinner party for 6), Rory's, The Goose, Koko FitClub, 203 Fitness Personal Training and many more! Raffle tickets will be sold at the event and can be purchased with cash or checks only.

This is the 4th year the YWCA Darien/Norwalk has planned this benefit event. Last year's event was held at Good Food Good Things and the event was sold out two weeks beforehand and raised over $3,000 for the YWCA Darien/Norwalk and its community outreach programs. These programs include Parent Awareness which encourages the positive development of Darien youth by providing education to families and Job Search Support which provides women with the skills and tools required to become employed and support their families. In addition, the YW is launching two programs for girls this year; Girl2Girl, a program designed to help girls in grades 6th through 9th grade feel empowered to deal with the challenges of this transitional phase of their lives; and Mentoring for Girls, the first adult-to-high school girl mentoring program in Darien

"We're thrilled that Nielsen's Florist offered to host this year's event, William Raveis will be the title sponsor, and so many local merchants generously donated raffle prizes. The proceeds from the raffle and ticket sales will help us meet the needs of our community service programs," said Ellen Kirby, Executive Director of the YWCA Darien/Norwalk.

Space is limited so all attendees must purchase tickets in advance for $35 at the YWCA Darien/Norwalk website at www.ywcadariennorwalk.org prior to November 29th.

To find out more about the event, visit www.ywcadariennorwalk.org, email cookies@ywcadariennorwalk.org or call 203-655-2535.