For 71 years, the Junior League of Gainesville Hall County has hosted two main fundraisers, Thrift Sale and Charity Ball, to help raise funds and serve community needs. Our annual Charity Ball event, provides high school students, an opportunity to work together with a local civic club to serve their community by raising funds that will be given back to local organizations supported by the Junior League.

Charity Ball began in 1951 when the Junior League was founded. It is the organization’s largest fundraising event of the year. Each year, local civic clubs sponsor a rising Junior or Senior girl as a Belle candidate. Together, with their sponsoring club, Belle candidates are encouraged to organize their own fundraisers in which they are most passionate about. This provides the Belles an opportunity to engage with the community in which we live and serve. On the second Saturday of December, The Junior League of Gainesville Hall County hosts its annual Charity Ball event to honor and recognize the Belle candidates and their Civic Club Sponsors for their commitment and hard work. The Belle who raises the most funds is then crowned Belle of the Ball.

The funds the Belle candidates raise have reached in the hundreds of thousands in past years, most of which is delegated towards many Junior League internal projects focused on childhood hunger and nutrition in the Gainesville and Hall County communities and school systems in need. A portion of the funds raised are also set aside for a signature grant, awarded every 5 years to a non-profit organization in the area. 2025 is our next signature grant year and the Junior League of Gainesville-Hall Co. will be awarding funds to one or multiple non-profit organizations in our community.

To learn more about this year’s Charity Ball event, visit our event page!