Despite the murky weather, Boston University students laced up their dancing shoes and braved the outdoors to attend the seventh annual COMmunity Benefit Ball at the Hyatt Regency Boston on Friday night, raising more than $8,000 for cancer awareness and research.
With fewer decorations and success in raffle sales, the ball was able to raise $2,000 more than last year’s COM Prom ‘-‘- the informal name for the extravaganza.
‘We limited the decoration this year because the goal was to raise as much money as we could, and decorations brought down the budget last year,’ Darren DeLuca, the College of Communication Student Assembly advertising and public relations vice president, said.
The DJ was accompanied by a single projector onstage featuring images of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe as well as other classic celebrity icons to fit the ‘Hooray for Hollywood’ theme.
COM Prom attracted more than 300 students, roughly the same number as last year, in support of the Katie Bleck Scholarship Fund.
The Katie Bleck Scholarship Fund works with the Jimmy Fund and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to provide college scholarships to graduating high school seniors undergoing active cancer treatment.
Raffle prizes included a baseball signed by Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia, a night for two at the Hotel Commonwealth and merchandise from local designer Johnny Cupcakes.
COMSA Executive Vice President Allison Morris said toning down event spending was helpful toward the budget and did not keep guests from enjoying themselves.
‘The event is not too formal, but we still chose the cocktail theme because we wanted people to be able to dress up and have a good time,’ Morris, a COM sophomore, said.
DeLuca, a COM junior, said the ball is a fun alternative to on-campus events and a way to ‘branch out to the BU community.’
‘I’m graduating this year, and I wanted to get in as many memories as possible, and I had a really good time this year,’ COM senior Pietra Impastato said. ‘The D.J. was a lot better [than freshman year], and it was a good chance to go out with my friends and have a good time.’
For students who had not been to the ball before, the opportunity to dress up and dance to support a good cause was incentive enough to go.
‘I wanted to go, because I thought it would be fun to get all dressed up and dance,’ COM sophomore Tessa Chen said. ‘Because it was all going to a good cause, I was willing to pay more for tickets and buy more raffle tickets.’
COM freshman Chelsea Merget said she agreed that the cost of the tickets ‘-‘- sold at the George Sherman Union in advance for $20, and $25 at the door to the dance ‘-‘- were well worth the experience she had.
‘There was good music, a good D.J., and it was an great opportunity to get to know the people I’m going to be spending the next four years of my life with.’
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