Mayors' Charity Ball Helps St. Charles County Charities

The mayors of 11 St. Charles County municipalities, including , , , and , have started planning for the 2012 Mayors' Charity Ball.

The Ball will be held at the on Saturday, March 10, 2012. Music will be by the Motown Revue.

Although the ball may be months away, work has already begun to secure sponsors for the ball, and to obtain applications from local not-for-profit organizations that would benefit from the funds this annual event generates.

This is the 17th year for the Charity Ball, and the eighth year it has been held as an all-mayors event for all the municipalities in St. Charles County.

The funds from the net proceeds of the Charity Ball go to local charities serving residents in St. Charles County. For a not-for-profit to be considered, it must have approved IRS determination of tax exemptions, serve St. Charles County residents and have its application received by the Mayors’ Charity Ball Committee no later than Nov. 1.

* Sponsorship and charity applications are attached to this article.

Sponsorship

There are six sponsorship levels available for the Charity Ball, ranging from a single VIP Solid Gold Sponsorship of $20,000, down to a $500 Temptation Sponsorship level. Each Sponsorship level includes tickets to the Charity Ball and special recognition.

The top three levels will receive inclusion in all press and advertising. The remaining three sponsorship levels will receive recognition at the event.

The sponsorship levels are:

• VIP Solid Gold — $20,000
• Supreme — $7,500
• Miracles Sponsor — $5,000
• Wonder — $2,500
• Easy as 1-2-3 — $1,000
• Temptation — $500

Event sponsors are a major funding source for the Ball, and the event committee hopes to have at least the top three levels in place before the end of 2012.

Businesses and individuals who would like more information about the Mayors’ Charity Ball can contact St. Charles Mayor Sally Faith’s office at (636) 949-3268.

Charity Requirements

All charities will only be eligible every other year for possible funding. In other words, if a charity received money last year, it will not be eligible this year. It will again be eligible next year.

The Mayors committee stated in a press release, that it feels that capital projects are the most helpful for charities, as these one-time projects can help the most people and free up resources for the general operating budget of a charitable organization.

"We also feel that implementing innovative new programs are helpful if the charity sponsor can assure the committee that it will be funded continually without resources from the Mayor’s Charity Ball Committee on a regular basis," the release stated.

Other requirements are as follows:

• The organization must be a not-for-profit with approved IRS determination of tax exemption.
• Applications from charities in St. Charles County and all municipalities will be considered. The decision will be made by the committee no later than Nov. 18. All charities will only be eligible every two years for possible funding.
• If selected, the organization must have at least one representative participate in the event planning and the organization must provide active participation in the Mayor’s Ball by purchasing tickets to the event and/or providing workers to set up and work at the event.

In order for the application to be processed and evaluated, it must be received by Nov. 1 at the following address: Mayor’s Charity Ball Committee c/o Mayor’s Office, 200 North Second Street, St. Charles, MO 63301.