3rd annual Vintage Ball raises funds to support young women in West Tennessee
Decadent twirling gowns, sparkling feathered caps and a raucously fun atmosphere filled the historic halls of the New Southern Hotel Thursday night as local women gathered to raise money for the Step Ahead Foundation of West Tennessee.
Under the theme of “Vintage Ball,” women from across the city and county sashayed into the 3rd annual event in gowns from various eras, all to raise funds for the local group’s mission of supporting teen girls, and reducing teen/unintended pregnancies.
“This event is to raise funds for Step Ahead West Tennessee so we can work with our girls on the Empowered Teen Council,” said Margaret Taylor, executive director of A Step Ahead Foundation. “We carry them all the way through high school, teaching them leadership skills, time management skills, and just a little bit of everything.”
Ticket sales and donations raised around $15,000 on its own, and will join with the proceeds from the event’s silent auction to support the organization’s work.
“We’re here to have good time—and we just like to be different from everyone else,” Taylor said, smiling as women spilled out the front doors dancing. “And the women love it.”
A “Ms. Vintage West Tennessee Pageant” was also held, showcasing some of the attendee’s stunning fashions.
The winner, Ulanda Yarborough, thanked the crowd for her crowning moment.
“I wasn’t expecting this!” she laughed, as inaugural winner Kristen McKenney placed the sash over her head.
The supportive gathering was clearly well received, with Taylor calling it “much-needed time” for “women to have fun as just women.”
“We found that it’s really important for women to have fun, talk and laugh, as just women. If women are given the right opportunities, the right training and the right resources, we can do anything,” Taylor said. “And having unintended pregnancies before they’re ready is not something that’s really beneficial to their future. If we can prevent that, I feel like that we’re helping them reach the goals that they set for themselves.”
Taylor also said that their services for local young women are becoming much more impactful in the wake of the overturn of Roe v. Wade.
“I think our service is needed more now than ever,” she said solemnly. “We don’t want any woman to be left alone, or not be able to accomplish anything she wants to accomplish.”
The organization reaches around 600 to 1,000 young girls every year, according to Taylor, all in different ways—Boys and Girls clubs, health fairs, school fairs, etc.
“We reach a lot of young girls that way, and we look forward to reaching more this next year,” she said. “Always looking to help more—that’s the goal.”
Have a story to tell? Reach Angele Latham by email at alatham@gannett.com, by phone at 731-343-5212, or follow her on Twitter at @angele_latham.
This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: 3rd annual Vintage Ball raises funds to support local young women
