Hanna delays fundraiser

Saturday's 'Army Wives' event for homeless shelter rescheduled for Sept. 27

Tropical Storm Hanna is not scheduled to threaten the South Carolina coast until Friday, but it has already claimed a victim.

North Charleston's homeless shelter fundraiser featuring the cast of the cable network Lifetime series "Army Wives" has been rescheduled from Saturday until Sept. 27.

"We had some tents going up and we didn't want to take a chance, so we talked with the folks at 'Army Wives' and found another date that would suit them," said Shannon Praete, North Charleston's grant administrator who is heading up the $125-per-person event.

Only 250 tickets will be sold for the 6 p.m. event. While about 75 tickets are still available, Praete said people in Virginia and North Carolina had bought tickets and she was trying to get the word to them about the date change.

"I would hate for them to drive all the way down here and find out the event had been postponed," she said.

"Army Wives" is a military-themed series that is filmed in the Charleston area. The Lifetime network recently picked up the series for a third season.

Eight principal cast members, including Catherine Bell and Kim Delaney, have indicated they will attend the fundraiser at Quarters H and I on the old Navy base. Quarters H and I are shown in the television show as the base's headquarters.

The ABC Studios/Mark Gordon Co. production airs at 10 p.m. Sundays.

The fundraiser will feature cocktails, heavy hors d'oeuvres and a silent auction of donated items such as gift certificates and dinners. Extra security will be in place because of the TV stars.

All money raised will go toward the proposed shelter for women and children called SOLD, for Sustainable Opportunities for Life and Dreams. The shelter will be on 3.75 donated acres on Leary Street near the new Remount Venture LLC defense-contracting facility off North Rhett Avenue.

The $3.6 million facility will have 148 beds and be run by North Charleston Housing Authority. It is not expected to open until 2010.

For tickets, call Shannon Praete at 740-2588 or send an e-mail to sold@northcharleston.org.

Reach Warren Wise at 745-5850 or wwise@postand courier.com.