Child Care Directions wants to send three couples packing – for a vacation.

The annual Suitcase Party is coming up Aug. 29 and Sandy Carter, director of Child Care Directions, expects a big turnout.

"The Suitcase Party is a fundraiser that started out many years ago. The reason why it is called the suitcase party is, if you won a trip, you had to come to the party with your suitcase packed and ready to leave to go on the trip right then. But, over the years as it progressed, it got harder and harder for people to actually be packed and ready to go."

Carter said this was difficult for some as children and work responsibilities often prevented people from being able to leave town.

"We still offer the trips as prizes, but you don't have to take the trip right then. You can take them when you can schedule them with whoever is donating the trip."

"In the past we have done cruises but we have found it was difficult, for one with the economy being what it is... we weren't making that much money because we actually paid for the cruises and didn't have them donated so that took a big chunk of our money."

"Then it was difficult because there were only certain times people could take the cruises. We felt that this year we would decrease the price of the tickets and offer local trips."

"There are three trips this year. One is a weekend trip to New Bern, one is a trip to the beach and one is a trip to the mountains. "

The trips are "from the mountains to the sea" in North Carolina.

Besides the trips, the vacation-theme party will have heavy hors d'oeuvre, a limited bar, entertainment and dancing. There will also be door prizes donated by local merchants. She said the dress code is very casual.

Carter said the charity event took a seven-year hiatus.

"When I came to Child Care Directions, I think 2001 was the last year they had done it. It didn't do very well because it was competing with football games, so last year was the first year since 2001."

Carter said over 100 people attended the event last year, which was at Scotch Meadows. She added that this event would be a bit different, including the timing.

"Last year, we did it in the spring. We ended up conflicting with so many different things... We decided to change it and go with a different time this year."

Carter said she felt the weekend before Labor Day would mean few would be traveling. She also felt that, since sports have not started back, few people would have conflicts.

Carter also said she expects to raise more money this year.

Last year, she said the overall fundraising was disappointing.

"We didn't lose money, we just didn't make a whole lot," Carter said. "We didn't raise the kind of funds that we had hoped but we have higher expectations this year."

She added that it would be easier to make money as Child Care Directions was not incurring the same expenses as when it bought the cruise tickets.

She also said they dropped the price from last year.

"Last year it was a little more expensive, so with the economy being what it was, we felt like we could decrease it some."

"With state funds we have to match with private dollars we can't match with other state dollars so we have to use these funds for the programs that we offer to use as an in-kind match to the state dollars we receive."

She said the money helps Child Care Directions help daycare centers in Scotland County.

"It helps in the services we provide for the childcare providers. We provide training for those that work in child care facilities. They are required to have so many in-service training hours so we offer those and we offer technical assistance either to new or existing child care facilities."

Carter said the funds also help with Child Care Directions' referral services for those in need of child care.