by Avery Kelly
Staff Writer
This Valentine’s Day, the Chattanooga Partnership for Families, Children, and Adults hosted its first annual Broken Hearts Ball, a fundraising soirée benefitting one of the organization’s key branches: the city’s Rape Crisis Center. This event attracted a substantial crowd from the local area, including several folks from the Mountain. A group of interested Sewanee students coordinated with the Bairnwick Women’s Center to organize transportation to and from the event, held at Chattanooga’s Stratton Hall, a stylish and comfortable venue on Broad Street.
Tickets to this year’s ball were $35 in advance and $45 at the door. These prices included an open bar stocked with Valentine inspired cocktails and wine for those 21+ as well as hors d’oeuvres. Guests at the ball, young and old, friends, coworkers, couples, and singles, enjoyed a photo both with silly props, intimate table settings, and a lively dance floor entertained by a DJ. One brave Sewanee student even whipped out a few signature break dancing moves and needless to say represented the University well with a roar of applause from the encircled crowd. This alternative Valentine’s outing did not disappoint and students were happy to have spent time off the Mountain together benefiting such an incredibly worthwhile cause.
The Chattanooga Rape Crisis Center is a very highly regarded facility with a qualified, professional, and tireless staff. The Center has a good relationship with the University of the South and is available for students seeking crisis resources and services after sexual assault. Students are first and foremost advised to call the University’s Sexual Assault Response Team at (931) 636-4887 in the event of a sexual assault. For more information about the Partnership, its events, and the Rape Crisis Center, visit their website.