Masquerade Momentum
Ballantyne Ball marks 10 years of supporting local charities
By Michelle Boudin | Photos courtesy of Ballantyne Ball
It started simply.
“I live in Ballantyne and really was just looking for a way to unite the community,” explains Allen Starrett, who founded the Ballantyne Ball 10 years ago. “I thought it would be fun to establish an event that would be a celebration of the community and focused on charitable organizations.”
Starrett and a team of friends and neighbors came up with the idea to make it a masquerade ball on Valentine’s Day weekend, where they would raise money for a different charity each year.
“The idea was to fall in love with giving. We truly want it to be a celebration where we embrace our charity partner, where we embrace what they’re all about, and it’s all about love and community.”
Event planner Dina Blazek has been involved since the beginning as well and says working with a different nonprofit each year is part of what makes the Ballantyne Ball special.
“It is an awesome event, and I think the neatest part about it is that it is so different every year because we focus on a different charity,” Blazek says. “Each year, we meet this different group of awesome people who have a passion for something, and then it becomes our passion, and it’s awesome and keeps it fresh. Thirty percent of the crowd changes every year because the charities change, so it’s a fun way to reinvent it each year.”
In their first year, the team worked with the Isabella Santos Foundation, and last year, they honored Hopeway. During all nine campaigns (no Ball was held in 2021), the Ball raised a total of $800,000 for nonprofit partners. Starrett says, “We look for local organizations in the Charlotte area that may be lesser-known causes. We want to lift up groups and really bring awareness to some of the lesser-known organizations.”
Ballantyne resident Jeffrey Rapaglia says he’s seen the impact of the Ball firsthand.