Nonprofits in Lafayette County take center stage for the second straight year during an event that seeks to raise money for these organizations.

The Night for Nonprofits will take place on Aug. 17 from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Powerhouse. The event is coordinated by LOFT (Lafayette Oxford Foundation for Tomorrow).

As part of the evening, a social cocktail hour will be taking place where partygoers can walk from booth to booth and learn more about the different nonprofits in the community. Local restaurants will also be taking part and have their food ready for tastings. In addition, a cash bar will be part of the festivities.

All the nonprofits will be competing for the Crowd Favorite Award, which people will get to vote for the organization they feel is most deserving for a cash prize. Attendees will be given one ticket with the price of admission.

Later in the night, LOFT will announce their $5,000 grand prize winners for one of five categories in the community: arts and culture, civic, education, health and human services and municipal.

Some of the nonprofits that will be present at the event (among many others) include Camp Lake Stephens, the Lafayette County Fire Department and the Yoknapatawpha Arts Council.

The Night for Nonprofits began last year and LOFT President Judy Holland says that the idea was to “bring nonprofits in the community together for a night to highlight all their good works.”

She added that LOFT looked to assist these organizations with more than money.

“Therefore, we established a grant writing workshop for the participating nonprofits as well as a workshop that assisted in developing stronger, concise presentation skills,” Holland said. “The thought behind these workshops was since LOFT can’t provide financial resources to all the participating nonprofits, LOFT can facilitate workshops to help develop lasting skills for personnel within each nonprofit.”

The night has turned into the signature event for LOFT, too.

“(It) encapsulates the mission of our organization, which is to enhance the quality of life in Oxford and Lafayette County,” Holland said. “By bringing nonprofits together, the community is able to learn the needs of the nonprofits as well as the needs within the community. Therefore, nonprofits are able to share their missions and efforts to an array of citizens.”

Tickets to Night for Nonprofits cost $10 and can be purchased at http://nonprofits.bpt.me/. Additional voting tickets can be bought at the door for $10. Children 12 and under are free.