The Wilmot Union High School Key Club raised funds to support mental health education by hosting a Snowball Dance at their school.
Hello! My name is Katherine Bubel and I am part of the Wilmot Union High School’s Key Club. If you don’t know what Key Club is, it is a club that encourages students to volunteer their time and give back to the community.
Setting the Event
Our Key Club came up with the idea to host a dance but also have it be a fundraiser for an organization. One of our members knew about Erika’s Lighthouse and had a personal connection with the organization because of mental health issues throughout her life. As teenagers going through the winter months, we thought this organization would best connect with our school especially because Erika’s Lighthouse donates to schools across America. We decided to create a subcommittee with eight people to start making this idea into a real event. The dance was named the Snowball and it took two months to plan.
Over 30 of our members helped build, decorate, and present more ideas. We had light purple and teal all throughout our dance to represent Erika’s Lighthouse and mental health colors. We even made a 10ft tall cardboard lighthouse! Our DJ put on a great show. He took time to play a special song to honor people struggling with mental health. Soon after, tons of balloons fell from the ceiling from our balloon drop! We also had photo props set up all around the gym where we hosted the dance. Some more of our decorations included snowmen, lights, light posts, and snowflakes. Key Club provided snacks and water throughout the event too. 
National Recognition
In April, Kianna Weis, Josh Melka, Key Club’s members and members of the subcommittee, and I competed in the community service event in the SkillsUSA competition in Madison, Wisconsin and presented the Snowball Dance. SkillsUSA is an organization that empowers its members to become world-class workers, leaders and responsible American citizens. We won the gold medal! Kianna, Josh, and I will be going to Atlanta, Georgia for Nationals!
The Wilmot Union High School’s Key Club raised $1,470.50 for Erika’s Lighthouse! Our Key Club will never forget our success of raising money and raising awareness for mental health around our school. Over 250 students from our school attended the dance. The Snowball Dance was a night to remember forever.
Key Clubs can take action today by hosting Awareness into Action Activities, located in the Resource Portal or
Starting a fundraiser today through the Student Fundraising Center.