Masquerade for good

Dance ambassadors pose with a check for H.O.P.E. Photo Provided by: @the.crystalball2024
Dance ambassadors pose with a check for H.O.P.E. Photo Provided by: @the.crystalball2024

Joshua Sarfert

Social Media Coordinator

  It’s a Saturday night in January: hundreds of high school seniors are gathered on the dance floor, jumping up and down to the music as they attend the annual Crystal Ball. 

   Upon arrival, you’d notice a table with various masks to put on, and decorations filling the ballroom to match the masquerade theme.

   Students attending are almost guaranteed to feel the high energy in the room and join the festivities.

   “Crystal Ball is a dance for many schools within the WSFCS community that helps to raise money for local nonprofits,” RJR Senior and dance ambassador Chandler Welsh said. “This year the money is going 

to H.O.P.E. which is Help Our People Eat, and all seniors in high school are invited to attend.”          

   Working to benefit children’s health and fight against food insecurity, H.O.P.E. packs and distributes meals every weekend, benefiting many families in Winston-Salem.

    “I’ve volunteered there before and they provide all types of food, from fruit to sandwiches to lunch and everything,” Welsh said.

    Seniors bonding together for one of the final events of their high school career, while benefiting a good cause, makes the dance a captivating experience for all involved.

   To spread the word about the dance and its mission, A team of senior ambassadors came together to aid and extend invitations to the event.

  “Our job is to promote the Crystal Ball and get people to buy tickets,” Welsh said. “We have an Instagram this year and we’ve been posting videos to hype people up with a countdown, dates, and telling people the reason for this dance and what the money is going to.”

    If you were to open the Crystal Ball 2024 Instagram account, you’d see sparkly blue countdowns, personalized videos from the ambassadors, and all the information you need to attend.

 While the dance has already occurred, you can always reach out to support your local non-profits regardless if it’s for a dazzling event or not.

   For rising seniors, be sure to get a mask ready, and be on the lookout for the Crystal Ball next year.