Karen Kistler

karen.kistler@salisburypost.comm

 

SALISBURY — Registration is open for the All Middle School Prom Night Sneaker Ball.

This annual fundraising event for Rowan County middle schoolers will be held Saturday at the Harold B. Jarrett American Legion, 1024 Lincolnton Road, Salisbury with doors opening at 7 p.m. and continuing until 11 p.m.

April Butler, CEO of the Strozier Family Foundation, which is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves as the organizer of the event. This will be her third year to lead the event, noting that it was held at the Civic Center until COVID. From 2020 until 2023, the event was not held, and Butler has been leading it since that time because it’s a “tradition in the community, especially in the West End part.”

She said the youth look forward to it and “a lot of these kids want a safe place to just be themselves. They get to dress up and see the other students from the other middle schools that they don’t see on a regular basis.”

The biggest thing about having this event, Butler added, is to “celebrate their academic success. They made it to the end of the year.”

The first year it was restarted, she said, the prom was held at her event center, the James E. Strozier Event Center, JES, which has since become a mobile service.

Last year and this year, Butler said she has partnered with the American Legion to host the prom.

She also partners with All Things Musical, which is a local group of young gentlemen who provide musical and hosting services.

Serving as DJ for the program will be JessOnTheBeat, who Butler said is a Salisbury High School alumni and is known in the community.

“I partner with them, it’s an opportunity to collaborate our services,” she said. “I love partnering with everyone because together we win together.”

Along with music, food and beverages will be provided along with the opportunity to take pictures at the photo booth. A King and Queen contest will also be held.

For this evening, Butler said that her hope for the youth is “socialization and a place to just be themselves” a place where they can talk with one another.

Her biggest thing, she said, though, is that, “I don’t like them out on the street. So if this one day provides that opportunity, at least they are somewhere safe, provided food, provided the time to take photos, create memories with their other peers.”

Volunteers are on hand to help, and they are able to watch them, she said, adding that she always makes sure they have “a safe location to be themselves.”

Advance tickets are $15 and $20 at the door. The cash app is $LAButler1231.

“Cost goes right back into our youth initiatives in the summer,” said Butler. “It helps make revenue within the (Strozier) foundation and that revenue pours right back into youth initiatives that they support.” 

She noted that they and the All Things Musical group both support the Salisbury High School band, helping them with their initiatives and workshops, training, or food needed during the summer

Anything they can do to support the youth initiatives, “such as the Boyz N the Good and Girlz N the Good, any funds that we develop in the Strozier Foundation and we support all youth initiatives,” said Butler.

For more information, email Abutler@jeseventcenter.com or call her at 704-796-0843.