16 years ago, Charity Ball was merely an idea that could raise a few thousand dollars to help make an impact on a beneficiary in the Raleigh area. Now, Charity Ball is one of the largest unrestricted grants in all of North Carolina, and the only one of those run by students. However, Enloe Charity Ball is more than just money given to a great organization like Haven House. Charity Ball is a community- one built upon lasting impact in Raleigh and the surrounding area. This student-beneficiary community has helped me grow not only as a student, but as a leader and as an advocate. Whether it be organizing caroling to raise money as well as holiday spirit, or volunteering with Southeast Raleigh Promise, I was supported and trusted to grow and become who I am today, and who I will be next year. This community and organization has seen kids come in and out of it, and ECB will always continue to be a welcoming home for them.
However, ECB is not just a community to us, and certainly not to me. Enloe Charity Ball is a haven for good, no pun intended, and remains a place for me to see the impact that even 80 diligent students can do in just a few months. It humbles me and reminds me that there is always somewhere to give back to in the place that I call home. This is so meaningful and powerful to me, to always know that there is more that I can do, but to also know that there will always be students like me and my peers ready to take on this challenge.
Although I have been a part of ECB for just a few years, and I only have a few years left of having hands-on experience, I know that this powerful community will continue to do things with amazing charities like Haven House, making lasting changes and fighting things like youth homelessness, as we are this year. This balance of community and impact is what makes Enloe Charity Ball what it is. Kids doing not kid things, as we like to say, is exactly what we want to embody and tackle, while also encouraging a wholesome community that is there for one another and to watch one another grow and develop. A perfect balance of community and impact is impossible to achieve, but I will argue that Enloe Charity Ball is the closest thing to it around.
Adam Burchell
Community Outreach Officer