The 2021 Rose Ball announces record fundraising to benefit local charities
October 21, 2021
The Charity Ball Board of Greenville raised $410,000 for the 2021 Rose Ball beneficiaries, which the committee announced during the Beneficiaries Reception on Wednesday. Continuing in the ball’s 50-year tradition, half of the proceeds benefit Bon Secours St. Francis Health System. This year, Bon Secours St. Francis will direct more than $200,000 toward Project SEARCH, an international school-to-work program model that provides high school students with disabilities internship opportunities in a work environment, with the ultimate goal of competitive employment.
The remaining half of the proceeds of the 2021 Rose Ball were divided among the following local charities, which will use the funds to advance their organizational missions:
• Carolina Dance Collaborative
• Foothills Family Resources
• Fostering Great Ideas
• Greenville Center for Creative Arts
• Greenville Free Medical Clinic
• Jasmine Road
• OnTrack Greenville
• Phillis Wheatley Community Center
• Safe Harbor
• Soteria Community Development Corporation
• United Ministries
The 2021 Rose Ball beneficiaries were selected from more than 80 prequalified agencies in Greenville County in the areas of arts, education, environment, and health and human services. The Charity Ball Board of Greenville’s Beneficiaries Committee, led by chair Gaye Sprague and vice-chair Courtney Atkinson spearheaded the effort of vetting the applications and meeting with the agencies. Leading the fundraising effort, Will Murphy served as chair of the Benefactors Committee, along with vice-chair Chris Hayes.
“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Greenville community, especially after such a challenging year,” said Brian Rogers, chair of the Charity Ball Board of Greenville. “Thanks to our benefactors, we were able to raise a record-breaking total for the deserving charitable organizations in Greenville County – marking our most successful fundraising effort in the Rose Ball’s history. We couldn’t have done it without our donors, volunteers, and the hardworking organizations who work to make our community a better place.”
About The Rose Ball
In 1971, the Charity Ball Board of Greenville was organized to sponsor a ball for a charitable community benefit. The Rose Ball was the first ball held in Greenville that would solicit public support to benefit charities in the community. The proceeds from the Rose Ball are distributed throughout the community with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System receiving 50% of the funding. Over the past fifty years, the Rose Ball has raised more than $4,000,000 to benefit the physical, emotional, educational, environmental and cultural needs of the people of Greenville County.
