Local residents will again be able to buy unique gifts for loved ones while supporting the community at this year’s The Elegant Elf Marketplace, organized by the Sandy Springs Society.

The marketplace will feature unique gifts from about 75 exhibitors, according to event co-chair Brenda Toan. “We’ll have everything from jewelry, scarves and women’s clothes to pottery and more,” said Toan.

In addition to exhibitor space, about 35 artists will be selling and showcasing six to eight pieces of work.

There will be cooking, decorating and other demonstrations every couple of hours throughout each day of the event, along with food trucks after 10:30 each morning, according to co-chair Elizabeth Kelly.

All the money raised from ticket sales to the event will be dispersed to local charities supported by the society, according to Toan.

“We raised over $40,000 last year,” said Kelly.

Some of the charities that have benefited from the society’s fundraising efforts include the Community Assistance Center, Heritage Sandy Springs, the YMCA’s after-school program, the Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and the Abernathy Arts Center.

“We really focus on organizations that promote the arts, social services, preservation, the environment and education,” said Toan.

Founded in 1989, the society is the city’s largest philanthropic group at more than 300 members, Toan said. Heritage Sandy Springs was the first group to benefit from the society’s fundraising efforts. The society still gives it 35 percent of whatever funds are raised throughout the year.

The society was responsible for the Town Turtles of Sandy Springs project in which individuals sponsored turtle sculptures that were erected and stationed around the city. The turtles were auctioned off, raising a total of $75,000 which was used to develop the entertainment lawn at Heritage Sandy Springs.

The turtle project happened at an opportune time, as the town was on the verge of becoming a city, and the turtle became an unofficial ambassador for Sandy Springs, as “slow and steady wins the race,” signifying the 25-year-long battle for Sandy Springs’ incorporation as a city.

This sense of community and fight for preservation is what the society promotes with their fundraising events. “People all think that Sandy Springs has no needs for charities,” said Kelly. “There certainly are needs.”