Enloe High School has raised $1 million for local charities. It needs $60,000 more.
Enloe High School’s Charity Ball has raised more than $1 million over the last 15 years to help local charities, but this year’s efforts to help a Southeast Raleigh-based organization will go down to the wire.
Charity ball organizers want to raise $200,000 by Dec. 7 to give to Southeast Raleigh Promise, a non-profit group trying to break the cycle of inter-generational poverty in that part of the city. But event organizers say they’re worried about reaching this year’s goal, citing changes in tax laws, the late date for Thanksgiving and potential donors’ unfamiliarity with Southeast Raleigh Promise.
“This is one of the most local, direct and impactful organizations that we’re going to raise money for,” Nate Barilich, director of the Enloe Charity Ball and an English teacher at the school, said in an interview with The News & Observer.
But Barilich said that “people aren’t seeing it as the same investment as other organizations in the past.”
Last year’s ball raised $205,000 for the Autism Society of North Carolina’s IGNITE Center in Raleigh, a program that aims to help young people with autism learn to become more independent. But Barilich said some groups who gave money in the past are saying no this year.
Barilich said the ball has received $140,000 so far. It will take a major effort to raise the remaining $60,000.
Southeast Raleigh Promise
Southeast Raleigh Promise was formed in 2015 to coordinate efforts to help revitalize the community. This year, 46 organizations applied to become the beneficiary for the ball. Students at the East Raleigh magnet school said they wanted to work this year with a group that would have a direct impact on the school community.
Enloe draws some Southeast Raleigh students. Southeast Raleigh Promise also works with students from Ligon Middle School, which sends some students to Enloe.
“We wanted to select a charity that impacts students we go to school with,” said Carter Wood, 18, a senior and vice president of publicity for the charity ball.
The money from the ball will help with leadership development and with financially supporting Southeast Raleigh Elementary, according to Kia Baker, executive director of Southeast Raleigh Promise. She said the group gets requests to help families pay for school uniforms and for school supplies used in the classroom and at home.
This week, the PNC Foundation announced it was giving $250,000 to support pre-K initiatives in Southeast Raleigh. This includes $30,000 given to Southeast Raleigh Promise to help provide curriculum and teacher development at three local private pre-K centers..
Much of Southeast Raleigh Promise’s efforts the past four years has been spent building the Beacon Site, the former Watson’s Flea Market that was purchased by the YMCA of the Triangle. Phase one has been the recently opened Southeast Raleigh YMCA and Southeast Raleigh Elementary. Future plans call for 120 apartment homes and a variety of services such as a grocery store, bank, coffee shop and medical facility.
The group is also working on leadership development to help train Southeast Raleigh residents to become advocates for the community.
“Enloe has always been part of the Southeast Raleigh community,” Baker said in an interview. “The young folks have done an excellent job of supporting people in the past. We like the fact that the students are involved in volunteering and not just in raising money.”
Earlier this month, Enloe students held a mini-charity ball for the Southeast Raleigh Elementary students.
A variety of fundraising efforts are still being held, including selling tickets for the ball itself. Enloe’s Arts Department will put on multiple performances of “Shuga’ Rim Swing and the Nutcracker Dream,” a family-friendly adaptation of “The Nutcracker,” at the school on Dec. 5-6.
The hope is to present a ceremonial check for at least $200,000 to Southeast Raleigh Promise at the Charity Ball.
“We’re proud of their work regardless,” Baker said. “But hopefully with the help of the community they will reach their goal.”
Information on donating
Go to http://www.enloecharityball.org/ for more information on the Enloe Charity Ball, including how to donate money and buy tickets. The ball is Dec. 7 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 4:43 PM.
