According to jacksonsun.com, under the theme of “Vintage Ball” women across the area in West Tennessee joined the third annual event in gowns from various eras in order to raise funds for the local groups objective of supporting teen girls, and reducing teen pregnancies. According to Margaret Taylor, executive director of A Step Ahead Foundation, “This event is to raise funds for Step Ahead West Tennessee so we can work with our girls on the Empowered Teen Council, We carry them all the way through high school, teaching them leadership skills, time management skills, and just a little bit of everything.”
Attendees ate and mingled during the vintage ball fundraiser that occurred on Thursday, September 8th inside the New Southern Hotel in Jackson, Tennessee. The ticket sales and donations raised around $15,000 and the silent auction will add to that total. Taylor stated that, “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, 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. I think our service is needed more now than ever, 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, and more.
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