By Mackenzie Acker
Staff Writer
Loud music, sparkly dresses, and late nights are features of most school dances, but Winston-Salem’s Crystal Ball has a whole lot more shining for it. This event is put on for seniors at schools all around the triad. From Mount Tabor High School, to as far as Woodberry Forest School, seniors got to dance the night away at this year’s Crystal Ball on Saturday, January 25th.
“The atmosphere was definitely different from other dances, because it’s not [just] people you see every day which made it so much more fun,” Crystal Ball ambassador Mary Bevins Myers said.
Seniors get to have a good time with friends from beyond R.J. Reynolds, and the dance has become a milestone as part of their final year in high school.
“It was such a full circle moment, especially with second semester starting and college decisions being made,” Myers said. “All the seniors just got to be together before we all go off to college!”
Behind the fun of the dance, the Crystal Ball has an even more important cause. With each ticket purchased, dancegoers are not just paying for a good time, they are paying for a good cause. All funds are graciously donated each year to a different charity of choice. This year, half of the proceeds went to Love Thy Neighbor (LTN), a charity that helps people in need throughout Winston-Salem, run by Centenary United Methodist Church.
“Each month at Love thy Neighbor we host a lunch, bingo, and medical clinic for our neighbors,” RJR sophomore and Love thy Neighbor volunteer Mary Del Currie,, said. “Less fortunate members of our community are invited to come sit down and eat with the volunteers, go see a doctor if they need, play bingo, and are given gifts such as a t-shirt or sweatshirt.”
These LTN Sundays don’t only offer resources to people in need across Winston-Salem, they offer a community of support.
“The community at Love Thy Neighbor is loving and inclusive,” Currie said. “Everyone is excited to be there, both neighbors and volunteers. It’s just a happy environment that everyone enjoys.”
Crystal Ball is not the first time that LTN has been involved with youth in Winston-Salem. Many RJR students routinely volunteer for their events and engage in leadership positions. These positions not only teach service but they impact each volunteer’s lives.
“Love Thy Neighbor has taught me to help the community around me and really to love all others like I would love myself,” Currie said.
LTN continues to play an integral part in the Winston-Salem community, and the money raised at Crystal Ball will enable them to keep serving people in need. Although seniors to come will be dancing for different causes, Crystal Ball will always strive for the greater good.