Choate Senior Aims To Raise $30 K for World Wide Charity
By Annabel Clarance ‘08
News Staff Reporter
Just in time for the holiday season, Choate student Lily Haydock ’07 is hosting her own charity ball. Officially called the “Winter Ball,” the event will take place on December 20th at 26 Helen Mills Theater in New York City. The invitation-only dance is a fund-raiser for the AmeriCares Organization. Haydock hopes to raise $30,000 for this humanitarian organization.
The event started as nothing more than a concept, something Haydock had always talked about doing. The idea came during junior winter (winter ’05 –’06) when Haydock found herself with few community service hours complete and facing a thirty hour graduation requirement. Originally, Haydock worked with fellow senior Elizabeth Robie ’07. Robie already had the idea for a charity ball and was in the beginning stages of planning a ball in Boston, Massachusetts. Robie and Haydock began seriously planning the charity event to take place in New York, where Haydock said transportation is easier. Unfortunately, Robie stopped working on the project in May 2006, due to unforeseen circumstances.
Haydock decided to keep working and organize the event on her own. In spring of 2006 Haydock applied for a Sesame Grant through Choate that awarded her $500 in seed money for the event. Choosing a charity proved to be the first in a series of daunting tasks. Originally, Haydock was attracted to Doctors without Borders, but when contracts became an issue Haydock, with the help of her mother, chose the AmeriCares Organization.
AmeriCares is a non-profit, international humanitarian organization that provides relief and support for those in need around the globe and within the United States. The charity supplies medicine, medical supplies and aid to those in need, as well as in response to any natural disaster. AmeriCares runs mostly on volunteer work and donations, and is very similar to the Red Cross. Haydock chose this charity because of its “low overhead.” Specifically, 99.2 percent of the funds raised go directly into the relief effort and only .8 percent of the funds go to management and further fund-raising. At other organizations, such as the American Red Cross, the percentage of money donated going directly to the cause is significantly less.
From there, the process became a long list of details that were certainly not going to pay for themselves. Haydock realized that a “creative black tie” charity ball does not plan itself. Over the summer Haydock raised $12,000 in donations from family and friends to use for the ball’s expenses. Haydock started with a “board” of twenty friends from various prep schools in the Connecticut and New York City area to make guest lists. Eventually, Haydock says, she spent her Thanksgiving break “literally stuffing envelopes” to the one thousand people on her guest list.
Haydock had some trouble picking a venue as she started looking at places like the Plaza and the Soho Grand Hotel that were out of her price range. With the help of a friendly party planner, she soon found the 26 Helen Mills Theatre in downtown New York City, which offered a nice space with a moderate price. The space even provided security, soda, bartenders, and bathroom attendants.
To make the $100 tickets worthwhile Haydock also recruited a D.J. and is in the process of organizing a raffle. A few families have donated iPods, and prizes have been donated by companies such as Hillside Sports, run by Corey Sherman ’07, who has donated a prize of 30 customized tee-shirts. A friend of Haydock’s who owns a Los Angles-based clothing company called Rebel Yell has also donated four gift packages.
Additionally, Haydock recruited her artistic friends to decorate the space. Emilia Rinaldini, from Milton Academy, took pictures in Argentina over the summer to be printed on a large scale. Hilary Copp has also made artwork specifically for the event.
Haydock chose December twentieth specifically because of all the other events that are happening around the same time. She says, “All the boys already have a tux this time of year.” Initially worried by the low response in the beginning, there is now a wait list to attend the Winter Ball.
Haydock’s goal is to raise $30,000. While, she has raised even more so far, Haydock has not yet factored in expenses. She says the experience has been rewarding but time consuming. She explained, “I am fortunate to have the opportunity to throw such an event – especially one benefiting such a great cause.”
