Four fourth-year USC students are rallying together to throw the second annual Carolina Ball, a fundraising event for local causes that they dreamed up after attending the Capitol Ball in Washington.
The focus of this year’s ball is Martha Childress, the first-year business student who was tragically paralyzed after a stray bullet struck her in Five Points last fall. The four students have even registered as an official non-profit, so donors can enjoy tax-deductable donations.
Ron Johnson, Childress’ stepfather, says that proceeds from the event will help offset the cost of a car designed specially for people who are paralyzed, featuring brake and acceleration controls on or near the steering wheel. Last year’s Carolina Ball brought in 250 attendees and $15,000 in ticket sales, which sure sounds promising for the Childress family.
However, this year’s Carolina Ball is, so far, short of the ticket sales it had last year. The effort deserves the backing of the student body, and that’s where we can step in.
The Carolina Ball needs proper student participation in order to reach its lofty goal of selling 600 tickets. That’s a hefty increase from last year’s 250, but you’d think that supporting such a worthy cause would be more than enough reason to whip up that kind of support.
Five Points establishments like Pinch and Breaker’s have been quick to climb on board and show their support. The bars will have drink specials to attract customers, and have been given tickets to sell, but they still need students to actually buy the tickets from them. Granted, the tickets are $40 and the Carolina Cup is the following weekend, meaning students might not want to break the bank for the Carolina Ball when they’ve already got their eyes set on the races the week after.
But this is a great opportunity to support an immensely deserving cause within the USC community and have a great night out doing it.
Maybe this year’s Carolina Ball hasn’t been as well advertised and publicized as it could have been and maybe it’s had a damper put on it by snow days, spring break and Carolina Cup.
But this is a cause that’s worth supporting, and it’s certainly not too late for the USC community to take advantage of this opportunity to make a difference when it really matters.
$40 may not be pocket change, but it’s a small price to pay for the impact it could have.