NEW BERN—Hundreds of fans and celebrities came together to help area charities.

The Nicholas Sparks Foundation's Celebrity Family Weekend began in New Bern Friday night. A military spouse met NFL quarterback Drew Brees, who signed memorabilia for her husband deployed in Africa.

She said she can not wait to see his reaction to the gear.

"I think his homecoming is going to be pretty intense for him, it's going to make it excited and get him looking forward to coming home," said New Bern resident Angela Mitchell.

Author Nicholas Sparks, a New Bern Resident, said he has found a lot of inspiration from the city and its military community.

"I try to write about that because I like to write about things that have depth and meaning and they make people remember them," said Sparks.

Sparks said he and his wife will match every dollar raised during the weekend.