Charity Ball improving

Last Friday at the Turret, Charity Ball hosted the semi-formal event “A Candy Coated Extravaganza” with proceeds going toward the Grand River Hospital Children’s Ward. Originally the event would be hosted at Bingemans but by switching to an on campus location Charity Ball cut down on costs for transportation and the venue itself.

With 247 attendees the event was a successful progression in the organization’s attempts to channel more of its revenue towards charity. Although some complained that the Bingemans venue was preferable, aesthetically or for other reasons, club president Amy Hollinsworth commented on how people would enjoy the Turret for its close proximity to their homes.

According to preliminary numbers, the total revenue was $6,819 with nearly half of that coming from just the silent auction. Charity Ball was also able to help raise $4,500 from other events before the semi-formal, such as Hair for Hope and Dirty Bingo. The less Charity Ball needs to pay in operating costs, the more opportunity it has to channel resources directly to the cause.

While criticism could be raised that the Charity Ball is no longer the same “event” as it is no longer at Bingemans, should we care? If we have genuine interest in the cause then we ought to support Charity Ball in the decisions it makes to improve it. Or maybe we just want to balance our own desires for a good time with a way to alleviate some of the guilt of self-indulgence?

If this is the case then it would make sense why some complain about the new location at the Turret. By making the event more about the cause, Charity Ball must compromise some of the resources it could use on the semi-formal itself.

We want to see social change and we don’t want to suffer too much for it, but is it fair for us to expect this to always be possible? Charity Ball is moving in the right direction by prioritizing the cause above its own interests. This brings us to question what the cause means to us, and whether or not we can do the same.