Traverse City, the City that never...well, sometimes, sleeps.

You probably read the title of this blog and immediately assumed that I was going to write about the various night-life hot spots in the Traverse City area. While I do enjoy a night out at 7 Monks every once in a while, that is not the purpose of this week's post.

This week's blog title (and content) is inspired by an event called the "Sleep Out."

If you've never heard of the Sleep Out, I'll give you a quick description- basically, community leaders (For instance, Doug Luciani) raise awareness about the need of home heating assistance by sleeping outdoors for a night. This year's "Sleep Out" is occurring on October 30th.

Events such as this are another reason Traverse City makes me consistently proud to call it my home. The Traverse City community is, to put it in the simplest terms, giving.

Every morning when I open the Ticker, there are at least three different events happening benefiting local charities. There is always a mention of a non-profit organization surpassing its fundraising goals or helping out a local cause.

Traverse City loves to support all of the non-profit organization in the area....and there are a lot of them.  It is so impressive to me that so many of these organizations are growing and continuing to prosper because of the helping hands and giving hearts of Traverse City's residents.

For instance, have you heard of Swingshift and the Stars? Chances are you have. In case you haven't, you can find out more about it right here.

Not only does Swingshift and the Stars raise funds and awareness for local non-profit organizations- it showcases six different non-profits every year, giving multiple groups a chance to tell their story and raise their funding. Not only that, but the event is sold out every.single.month. Why is that? Because the people of Traverse City care. Traverse City enjoys attending events that help the community.

How can you not be proud to live amongst people who are passionate about helping others and giving to the less fortunate? It's things like this that create such a strong sense of community in Traverse City.

So next time you have a free night, open your Record Eagle or Business News and see what fundraising events are happening around town. Don't be surprised when you notice that there are probably multiple opportunities every night. That's just how Traverse City does things.