GO
Her hands rebuilt homes in Oakland, moved while in a production of a school play, held a pen while taking notes on a community service meeting, and worked to make meals at the Children’s Hospital. Now, in a white elbow length glove, her hand grasps her father’s hand in celebration of her coming of age.
Young girls, who continually make a positive impact on the community, mark their coming of age into young women as Debutantes by participating in the Hill Branch Winter Ball on December 20th.
Benefiting the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland, the Winter Ball ties together three vital components of life: philanthropy, family, and commencement. Because of Winter Ball’s extravagance and elegance, it successfully attracts donors and benefits the hospital.
The Winter Ball has raised over $5,000,000 to date since 1958 for the Children’s Hospital.
It in addition raising a substantial amount every year for the hospital, it also brings together bright-minded young women and their families to celebrate their coming of age. Throughout the year, from a mother-daughter tea to father-daughter dance lessons, these young women have an opportunity to strengthen bonds with their parents, see each other in a new light, while concurrently making new friends who will be celebrate becoming young women in the same ceremony as they do.
More than five times in the past few weeks I have heard my peers refer to the Debutante ball as an event that “people from upper Piedmont use to showcase their money and objectify women”. Firstly, while I have no doubt that past, present, and future Debutantes may come from upper Piedmont, the Winter Ball is for young women from throughout the East Bay who have made a difference, as well as family members of legacy of the Hill Branch Winter Ball. In addition to this, the event is not all about showcasing money; families participate to donate to the Children’s Hospital. Friends and family of the Debutantes and people who have donated to the hospital before, invitees pay to attend the Winter Ball and donate to the hospital as well.
Lastly, the event does not objectify women. While the ball was originally founded upon marriage, the ball now also celebrates the young women’s contributions to the community.
Regardless on the purpose of the event or method, giving is a necessity. We need to continually take steps to help others and give, big or small. Yes, the Winter Ball is a night of gowns and tuxes at a five star hotel, but the method does attract a group of supporters that a backyard barbeque party or a lemonade stand might not. This elegant evening annually succeeds as a fundraiser. By gaining a strong financial support system for the hospital, the Winter Ball is an example of an influential fundraiser, whose history and tradition carries throughout the years.
From winning national championships in sports to playing a lead in a play to changing the climate in the community, Debutantes exemplify the characteristics of warm hearted and kind young women and the Winter Ball celebrates this- all while giving to an important cause, the Children’s Hospital & Research Center Oakland.
Contact Daniella at dmohazab@tphnews.com
NO GO
Girls in white ball gowns waltz across the ballroom of one of San Francisco’s most extravagant hotels, signifying their transformation into the adult world. The debutante ball is a tradition that was rooted in wealthy aristocratic families. The blog survivinghighsociety.com says debutantes are “very desirable woman who will marry within the society of her parents.” Although the idea that a woman’s sole purpose is to be a perfect wife to a wealthy man is now behind us, this tradition remains with little adjustments and leaves the families who participate with praise for helping the Children’s Hospital. The debutante ball is charity event masking the desire to show off a family’s wealth and social status.
The Debutante Ball, or Winter Ball, is an event in which girls are hand picked to participate in an extravagant coming of age ceremony that raises money for the Children’s Hospital. Each family makes a participation payment of $4,500 that covers the cost of the daughter’s, father’s, mother’s and escort’s attendance, a bouquet of flowers and a DVD of the evening.
The debutante families are required to purchase a dress, gloves, shoes and the father/escorts’ suits. Hotel rooms, tickets, and pre-ball parties are more extra costs for the event and do not benefit the Children’s Hospital. The debutantes are then also required to spend hours of their own time taking ballroom dancing classes and going to mother daughter tea.
I am not going to deny that a large amount of money is raised to go to the hospital, but think of all the money wasted on the ball itself: extra parties, dresses, suits, and dancing lessons that could have been donated to kids in need. It is disgusting seeing the extent of money spent on unnecessary extravagance, when there are still children dying of illnesses that could have been helped. Instead the money goes to a party that has no meaning besides flaunting one’s accomplishments and showing off superior financial class.
There are hundreds of other ways to raise money that do not include wasting thousands of extra dollars to only bring happiness to the few families involved. The amount of time alone spent on dance lessons and preparations for the ball could be used so much more productively for their cause, like actually volunteering at the hospital and making a difference in the world. Lose the white ball gowns, take off the gloves, stop waltzing and go work at the hospital. The more money and time donated, the more lives will be saved.
The idea of being exclusively invited to donate is also absurd. In order to be a debutante, you must be nominated by a previous debutante family, or someone on the committee. For an event that’s goal is to raise money, why be selective and therefore limit donations?
Anyone who has the money to spend on this extravagant evening should stop and think of what that money could do when donated to the Children’s Hospital rather than spending it on the ball. Those extra costs could give a child a vaccine, help a family pay for chemotherapy, or go towards finding a cure for diabetes. The debutante ball needs to readjust their priority of putting charity first, or accept itself as the wealth status bragging party that it is.
Contact Kate at kbott@tphnews.com
