My friend asked me, “So what the h*ll went wrong?” Faint screams echoed through my mind as I reflected on Saturday night’s ball. The atmosphere was animated, all 1000 attendees seemed electrified after the huge check was presented to the Raleigh-Wake Partnership to End and Prevent Homelessness.
Though unnoticeable at first, I began to hear a piercing sound. Its rhythm imitated, but then rose above the bass line of the music playing in the museum. Fire alarms turned the event into a frenzy; administrators corralling students, students frantically rushing outside. Although I helped plan Enloe Charity Ball, I remember being just as confused as everyone about what was happening. I knew then that, regardless of what set off that blaring noise, Enloe’s 13th annual Charity Ball was at an abrupt end.
How could this happen? Everything we poured into this massive event, gone with the screech of an alarm. I began to recall everything we had done over the past months: the businesses contacted, the money raised, the various fundraising events organized. Had all our hard work to help our community been in vain?
After contemplating that question for days, I was shown something amazing: the plans for the Raleigh-Wake Partnership’s brand new Oak City Outreach Center. This center will serve as a haven for Raleigh’s homeless; a place where underprivileged people can come to find shelter, food, job opportunities, and job training. I realized that there was an inherent problem with the question asked. Nothing went wrong. We did it. We raised $180,000 for Raleigh’s homeless.
That’s the beauty of Enloe Charity Ball: it is so much more than just a high school dance. It is an opportunity for students to effect real change in the community. This year’s beneficiary, the Autism Society of North Carolina, is a deserving charity which provides support and opportunities to individuals with autism. Charity Ball will specifically be benefiting Raleigh IGNITE, a program which provides resources and guidance to individuals with autism to help them navigate through the next chapter in their life. It is organizations like IGNITE, which have such a direct impact on the community, that motivates our resilience through the Charity Ball season. No obstacle, barrier, or fire alarm is going to prevent us from presenting that check on December 8th.
Manas Panchavati
Senior Class Senator