Enloe High School will hold its annual Charity Ball at Marbles Museum on December 9, 2017. It expects to raise $150,000 for The Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness.
The Charity Ball will be the culmination of a process that began with the student council elections in the spring. Student Body President Jake Gordon took the helm of the Charity Ball project to work with some seventy-five students in elected positions and dozens of other students. Divided into teams for outreach, service, logistics, marketing, and finance, the Charity Ball organization more closely resembles Swiss government agencies than the average high school student government.
Thirteen years ago, Enloe student Rachel Escobar established the Charity Ball to support Haven House. In the ensuing years, the Charity Ball fundraising has grown from $6,000 to six figures. The Charity Ball has gained such prominence that this year over thirty organizations applied to partner with Enloe.
After reviewing the applications and visiting the sites of five of the potential partners, the consensus was that the Partnership and, in particular, the Multiservices Center fit Enloe’s theme of being Alive with Purpose. Partnership made an impression because of its “continuing impact on the Raleigh community,” said Mary Bishop Wade, Vice President of Service.
The Multiservices Center will coordinate medical and dental services, job-training, and food and shelter. It will be the first of its kind in Raleigh, a one-stop shop for people who need resources. The Multiservices Center is scheduled to open in November 2018.
In addition to selling tickets to the Charity Ball, Enloe students raise money through a host of other projects, including t-shirt sales, donation jars at retailers throughout Raleigh, an art auction, a “Space Jam” concert, a pop up thrift shop, canvasing, and seeking corporate sponsors. Donations this year have come from twenty-five different states and even outside of the United States.
There are about 4,000 homeless people in Wake County, including 2,736 Wake County Public School homeless students.
All of this will have a tremendous impact on the Partnership, but it also has had a positive effect on the students who have participated. Mr. Gordon observed that he had gained confidence in organizing and leading a team. Ms. Lyndsey Gordon, Vice President of Public Relations, noted the real-word experience she had gained in team-work and public speaking. For Ms. Wade, it provided a senior year project that has been valuable and meaningful. It goes without saying that all three have a strong interest in public service and hands on experience that will be helpful for them in the future.
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Every penny donated to the Charity Ball will go directly to Raleigh/Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness.
The Multiservices Center is located at 1430 South Wilmington Street in downtown Raleigh.
This year Enloe will hold a sponsorship reception at Marbles separate from the students’ formal, which will allow sponsors to network and then be present at the check presentation at 9 pm.