On August 15th, Enloe’s Student Council announced this year’s Charity Ball beneficiary. The partner for this year is Neighbor to Neighbor, a local organization from the southeast Raleigh area that works to provide mentors specializing in educating impoverished children and families. Enloe will be working hand-in-hand with Neighbor to Neighbor, raising thousands of dollars to award them by December. The amount of money raised this year will be announced at Enloe’s 18th Charity Ball on December 16th at Marbles Kids Museum.
The Enloe Charity Ball mission statement this year is “To see all of our neighbors overcome the stunting effects of poverty, and thrive through one-on-one mentorship.”
Neighbor to Neighbor is a community development organization that utilizes one-on-one mentoring and job-creating social enterprises to help neighbors pursue their education and reach their full potential. Since their establishment in 1994, Neighbor to Neighbor has created over 25 living-wage jobs, enrolled over 125 students in their program, and reached over 10,000 Raleigh residents. 95% of students in Neighbors to Neighbor’s program reach grade-level proficiency in reading or math, and 96% successfully graduate high school. 34% of these students go on to higher education, 98% being first-generation college students. With these growing impactful numbers, the organization stuck out as a clear choice for this year’s beneficiary.
“I think Neighbor to Neighbor highly relates to the Enloe population, considering its heavy emphasis on education and academics. ,” said Celine Ganyo, Student Body President. She continued, “There are so many students in the Southeast community that are impoverished and facing conditions that would make it so that education is not a priority in their lives. Neighbor to Neighbor is a beneficiary that will help them overcome those struggles.”
As the organization heavily involves volunteer work, Enloe’s Student Council will fit right in with their volunteering later this year. Student Council also plans to have any Enloe student interested in mentor volunteering to help out. Spencer Hathcock, Neighbor to Neighbor’s Development and Strategy Specialist, spoke to our Student Council on behalf of Neighbor to Neighbor, sharing their mission for this Charity Ball season.
“We’ve been looking for something to help us put ourselves out there and help us expand. So really a lot of [wanting to be the Enloe Charity Ball 2023 beneficiary] was just kind of the awareness of spending a semester working with you guys.”
“But also, we’re just really inspired by our high school youth mentors and having high schools involved. Our kids are really inspired by kids who are just a couple of grade levels or a little bit older than them.”
Hathcock as well as another board member at Neighbor to Neighbor are Enloe graduates themselves. The former Eagles shared that they are thrilled to be back on Enloe’s campus, and to have the opportunity to connect with a student body they were once members of. Hathcock added “We don’t expect you guys to be all of the mentors. If you want to mentor, we’d love to have you. But we really just need a kind of awareness campaign to inspire people to come to be a mentor for one hour a week.”
Ava Flood and Kaitlyn Allen, two current seniors at Enloe, shared their enthusiasm for Neighbor to Neighbor and Enloe Charity Ball season in general. Flood stated “I am very excited for this Charity Ball season, I love raising money for Charity Ball, it’s a super awesome thing and so unique to Enloe. I can’t wait to volunteer with Neighbor to Neighbor this fall. Flood and Allen shared the overall hype they feel toward Charity Ball, and how it makes the entire month of December special. “When these freshmen come in and say ‘Why is December lit?’ I’m gonna say ‘Because Charity Ball.’” says Allen.
This eagerness for Enloe Charity Ball season is exactly what Enloe needs to kick off the new school year. Student Council cannot wait to spend more time working with Neighbor to Neighbor and raising money for their impactful and inspiring cause.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor or volunteering your time with Neighbor to Neighbor, please contact [email protected] for more information.
