Hundreds flock to the annual Blue Jean Ball
Published 10:01 pm Friday, November 9, 2012
More than 200 people attended Thursday’s Blue Jean Ball at the Old National Guard Armory to help support the Journey School. --Katie Wood
Nearly 250 people packed the Old National Guard Armory Thursday night for the Journey School’s 5th annual Blue Jean Ball.
The fundraiser exceeded expectations and brought in approximately $30,000.
“I think it just shows how much the community supports the Journey School,” Renee Alsobrook, director of the Journey School said. “To be able to come out year after year and continue to help us continue the Journey School. It just never ceases to amaze me, just the generosity and the outpouring of support.”
All the money raised will go towards helping the Journey School in its operating expenses and for equipment and supplies for the children and the school.
“It just helps us to continue our mission and continuing keeping the Journey School open,” Alsobrook said.
The Journey School is a non-profit organization preschool that provides an inclusion environment for children ages 2 and a half to 5 years old.
“What that means,” Alsobrook explained, “is that we have special needs children and typically developing children attending our school. I think [the community] sees that it’s important because we do offer an inclusion environment and that sets us part, that makes us unique from other preschools because there isn’t another preschool like ours in Dallas County or the surrounding counties.”
All the children who attend the Journey School, Alsobrook said, benefit from the inclusion environment.
“The typically developing children serve as role models for the special needs children. And all the children are just learning life lessons that are going to benefit them for the rest of their lives,” Alsobrook said. “I think inclusion is such a great, great way to go.”
The Journey School advertised for the Blue Jean Ball for the past month and had 22 sponsors contribute. The money they raised came from ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, live auction, silent auction and country store.
“When it’s all said and done we will probably bring in about $30,000,” Alsobrook said. “I think the event exceeded my expectations. We did exceptionally well.”
