“Charity Ball is one of the largest remaining formal dances we have on campus,” says Janice Noronha, the year’s USC Charity Ball Coordinator, “It’s an event where students can give back to their community while enjoying a fun and social evening, and I think that’s what makes it a very special event.”
Janice has spent the better part of this year planning for January 26th, the evening that her portfolio’s hard work will finally come to fruition. She and her team have been diligently planning, promoting, and executing every detail of the event from the theme to the venue to the decorations. “Choosing this year’s theme, Desert Rose, was one of the most exciting parts of the experience. We really wanted the theme to reflect our chosen charity in some way and we think the spirit of Desert Rose will resonate with our students”.
Proceeds from this year’s Charity Ball will be donated to the Women’s Rural Resource Center in Middlesex County, which included London. The organization provides education, prevention, and support services for women and families impacted by gender-based violence, offering services like crisis counselling, food support, educational programming, and more. The Centre has served over 91 women through its transition services programming, provided 411 hours of counseling services, and accommodated 45 women and 22 children in shelter spaces. “The Desert Rose theme is meant to symbolize the enduring strength of these women, as the theme compliments both the femininity and resiliency of a desert landscape.”
As an established and well-respected event in our community, Charity Ball received over 100 applications in the summer from various charitable organizations. The nature and depth of the support the Center provides to local women made them an excellent choice for this year’s event. “We really wanted to shine a spotlight on our charity partner to ensure we were highlighting the excellent work they do in our community on an issue that our students are passionate about.”
Charity Ball, despite previous success, has seen a decline in attendance in recent years. “We think a lot of this has to do with budgeting issues,” says Noronha, “Our expenses have been increasing so the same ticket price doesn’t goes as far as it used too.” This means that Noronha and her team have to find innovative ways to promote the event and ensure students receive value for their contribution. One such way is offering a party bus to the biggest ticket sellers to engage students and provide an incentive to make this a broad social event for our campus community.
While attendees are encouraged to dress according to the theme, Noronha’s team wants to ensure a dress code is not a deterrent for students thinking about attending. “Our Lookbook is a great way to get inspired; we really tried to focus on a color palette of dusty pinks, deep reds, and soft pinks. However, at the end of the day, Charity Ball is a wonderful evening regardless of the attire and students shouldn’t stress about wearing the right clothes, but rather brining the right attitude to the event.”
Charity Ball is on Saturday, January 26th at 9:00pm at the London Convention Centre. Tickets are available for $45 each online, at the Purple Store, our at the Charity Ball booth in the Atrium. Check out the Facebook page for the event for more details and access to the Lookbook.
More information on the Women’s Resource Center can be found on their website.