On Sunday March 3, the Inter Greek Council held its third annual Anna’s Ball fundraiser in the College Union Ballroom to commemorate the namesake of its central charity, Anna McKinney, and raise money for the Anna’s Wish Foundation.
The Anna’s Wish Foundation is an organization created by Geneseo graduates, Jeff and Jessie McKinney in memory of their daughter, Anna, who lost her battle against acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2010 at the age of 5.
According to Anna’s Ball Committee member and Alpha Omega Pi junior Courtney Dunn, the Inter Greek Council adopted “Anna’s Wish” as its official philanthropic project in the spring of 2010, and throughout the year the Council hosts various fundraising events leading up to Anna’s Ball.
Dunn said that even though “there are so many causes out there, this one especially hits close to home if you think about the story behind it.”
Dunn has been working on the Anna’s Ball committee for two years now and said that the foundation proves “that having a network at Geneseo can really support you in the future.”
The event consisted of a brief introduction by Jessie McKinney, the foundation vice president followed by a buffet-style dinner catered by Campus Auxiliary Services and a series of performances from different student groups. This year, the meal consisted of a Caesar salad, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies and an entrée choice of eggplant Parmesan or seasoned chicken. For dessert, CAS served raspberry-topped cheesecake.
After dinner was served, the Southside Boys a cappella group came to the stage to perform a series of adorable pop and barbershop quartet-style mash-ups, including solos from multiple members of the group. The Genesee Valley School of Dance ended the night with its energetic, military-inspired modern dance routine and highly inventive, basketball-infused tap performance.
Students from different Greek organizations largely attended the event, and while it is mandatory for 10 percent of all Greeks to come to the ball, Dunn said she was “sure that more than 10 percent of each organization showed up, which is great.”
“As a pledge class, we thought it would be a great idea to get involved in the cause together,” said Alpha Kappa Phi pledge sophomore Shannon Finn.
Finn and a number of her fellow Alpha Kappa Phi pledges said the Greek organizations on campus had previously explained to them what the Anna’s Wish Foundation was and what it meant to the Geneseo community.
“We heard it was a good cause and that they’re alumni, so we definitely wanted to show our support,” said Alpha Kappa Phi pledge freshman Rachel Reynolds.
Dunn said she encourages non-Greek students to get involved in the foundation as well and said that the committee is currently working on a public relations video to promote next year’s fundraising and annual ball.
“We contribute a large chunk of money to the organization and this night kind of celebrates all the fundraising we do throughout the year,” Dunn said.