In 1988, a group of Carleton University students, wishing to give something back to their community, held a formal ball and donated the proceeds to a local charity. The success of this first event provided the foundation for what has become a series of tremendously successful Charity Balls.
Originally, the proceeds of Charity Ball were donated in their entirety to the charity of choice. In 1990, with a remarkable show of foresight, the Charity Ball committee decided to use a portion of each year's proceeds to build a permanent fund. Since then, the annual interest revenue of this capital fund as well as a portion of the event revenue is donated to designated charities, while the remaining revenue is deposited in the fund. Thus, as the fund grows, so does the interest available for donation.
The Carleton University Students' Charity Ball Fund ensures that charitable causes in the Ottawa area have a permanent source of funding in the name of Carleton students. In this way, students who may live in Ottawa for only a short period of time leave a lasting legacy in their adopted community.
Numerous charities have been featured at the ball over the past 20 years. A complete list has been made available in the previous charities section.
In addition to the ball itself, a number of promotional fundraising events are put on each year to help supplement the costs of running the ball, and to raise awareness for the designated charities. These events have included fashion shows, pool tournaments, auctions, bake sales and bbq’s.
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