In the spirit of the old-time recruiting poster, the committee that is planning the annual fundraiser for the Moore Free Care Clinic is eagerly seeking volunteers under a banner of "We Need You!"

Called Moore Dining in the Pines 2008, this year's campaign to raise funds in support of the Clinic is slated to take place the week of Oct. 1925.

Here's how people can help -- by simply becoming a host for a party for their friends. The volunteers are asked to invite at least six friends, or more, to a gathering at their homes. The choice of the day and the time (anytime between Oct. 19-25), and the type of function is left up to the volunteer hosts.

The event can be a candlelight dinner party, a weekend brunch, a festive luncheon, an evening barbecue or backyard picnic, or even a cocktail party with a hors d'oeuvres buffet. It depends on the hosts' imagination, and can be formal, or informal, whatever they choose.

Invitations are supplied by the Moore Dining in the Pines committee, and are given to the hosts to distribute to their guests. The guests are asked to make a donation of $35, $50, or $75 to the Moore Free Care Clinic, and each invitation contains a donor card with a self-addressed envelope for the guests' use in sending the donation to the event treasurer.

As a result, the hosts who, of course, are not asked for a donation since they are giving the party, have no way of knowing the amount of their guests' contributions.

"It sounds complicated," says Bobbi Erdman, who co-chairs the committee with Terry Clark, "but actually it is an easy way for friends to have a good time together and at the same time support the Moore Free Care Clinic. It is a tried and true formula used by nonprofit organizations across the country."

The clinic, a private, volunteer-based nonprofit treatment center providing primary health care services at no cost to uninsured county residents with limited income, has been the beneficiary of previous Dining in the Pines events held for the last three years. The amount of money raised has averaged in the $40,000 to $50,000 range each year, and last year more than 60 couples or individuals participated as hosts.

According to Kathy Lannon, one of the dozen or more committee members, the core group of hosts in the past has come from Pinewild, Fairwoods No. 7, and Country Club of North Carolina, with a few people from Southern Pines.

"Since the Moore Free Care Clinic serves individuals on a county-wide basis, this year we are looking for a wider representation of Moore County residents to be hosts -- from the rest of the Pinehurst and Southern Pines community, Seven Lakes, Whispering Pines, Carthage, Vass, Aberdeen and all the other areas of the county," she says.

Because Moore Dining in the Pines 2008 is spread over a week, rather than being limited to just one night as was done in the past, the committee hopes to attract double the number of hosted parties.

Also in the past guests at the individual dinner parties were treated to an "afterglow" party at the Country Club of North Carolina, where dessert and coffee were served, and both a silent and live auction took place.

"Added to the fact that we really want to spread the participation to the entire county," Erdman explains, "we also got a lot of comments from guests who hated to leave their hosts' parties, even though it meant attending an impressive 'Afterglow.' Consequently we came up with the new format for this year's fundraiser."

Bobbi Erdman first became involved with the Moore Free Care Clinic in 2004, when she attended one of several receptions initially set up by the clinic. Based on her background in fundraising for nonprofits in the Northeast before moving to Pinehurst, she made the suggestion that the clinic might want to try a Dining in the Pines event.

Co-founded in April 2004 by Dr. David Bruton and the Rev. Mark Wethington, who is presently serving as interim executive director, the clinic is staffed by local medical providers who volunteer their time and expertise, and a small paid staff.

The clinic doesn't receive any federal or state funds, and is dependent upon grants, individual and corporate donations and the generosity of the community.

"Because of its increasing patient load, and its upcoming move from its original cramped quarters to a new site in Southern Pines before the end of the year, the Moore Free Care Clinic is relying on all of its fundraising resources now more than ever before," Bobbi Erdman says.

"Here's a great opportunity to plan a pleasant get-together with a group of your friends, and help raise much needed funds for a good cause that benefits some of your neighbors right here in Moore County."

For more information, or to sign up to host a party for Moore Dining in the Pines 2008, call Kathy Lannon at 235-9232, Mary Schneider at 215-9257 or Margaret Thatcher at 255-6917.

Contact Pinehurst freelance writer Mary Elle Hunter at mhunter104@yahoo.com.