The ins and outs of the UNICEF Snowflake Ball
Community coming together ‘brightening the lives of children’
The UNICEF Snowflake Ball is an annual Syracuse tradition revolving around helping raise money for the United Nations Children’s Fund.
This weekend the 6th annual Snowflake Ball was dedicated to help the children in Syria in Goldstein Auditorium.
Countless students dressed up in their best formal attire to help spread awareness and raise money to help the children affected by the Syrian crisis.
(L to R) Talya Sever, Zeena El-Eita, Angie Herrera, Angelica Rodriguez, Christina Bahou, Zeena Saifi, Marissa Fenning
I was able to sit down with the president of the Syracuse UNICEF chapter, Tulipe Hosenn to discuss the event.
She informed me of the importance of this on-campus event and mentioned the helping the children who were affected by the Syrian crisis. UNICEF’s goal is to keep children out of the conflict anyway possible.
Tulipe said: “Keep the children out of it. If they are going to have a long-term war… make sure the children have access to food, water, and education.”
LaNia Roberts guest speaking at the event
When asked about the ethics of the UNICEF organization, she explained the strict guidelines implemented by the international relief fund.
“UNICEF is the world’s largest organization, 99 cents out of every dollar goes directly into toward the cause, and the other 1 cent is to hire qualified individuals to promote the ideals of UNICEF.”
UNICEF adheres to a strict 4:1 ratio in for event spending. This means, “if you are spending 1 dollar, make sure you’re getting four dollars back.”
The event sold out a week before the event. At five dollars a ticket, the response to the ball was phenomenal.
The fashionable crowd at the event
The event gave attendees a four course meal with guest speaker LaNia, known for her weather reports on the SU’s Snapchat Campus Story, and entertainment from Black Reign, Christian Quiles, Late Night Jammers, Orange Bhangra, Malcolm Ali-Davis, and Austin Holmes.
A UNICEF representative took the journey to Upstate New York to express to the Syracuse community how important our contribution is to helping the children of Syria.
UNICEF representative giving her speech
I asked Tulipe if there was anything else she would like to say about the event or the social issues in the Middle East.
She said: “I was born in Bangladesh. Thankfully I was born in the city, so I had some privilege. But if I was born just a mile away from where I was born my life would be very different.
“I would probably be in the middle of a war, or married, and have kids. I would not be educated.”
Kendra Guerra and Brian announcing performers
At the end of the day, the event’s purpose was to raise awareness and create an opportunity for the privileged to do their part in helping the less fortunate children in the Middle East.
Fortunate people are educated on the travesties in our world, therefore they should help if able.
The 6th Snowflake Ball was more than a success and the Syracuse community looks forward to another year of helping the children affected by unfortunate circumstances.