YHC’s Big Dance: A Fun Campus Tradition to Benefit Students
Perhaps you’ve seen the social media posts about this weekend’s Big Dance, but do you know what an important part of YHC’s focus on students this event is?
The Big Dance has been a part of Young Harris’s spring events for over ten years, with the first Big Dance happening in May of 2011. This fun event is usually themed, and this year’s is “Let the Good Times Roll,” while 2022’s was “Through the Decades.”
According to Mark Dotson, Vice President for Advancement, “We wanted to offer a fun event for the community that would, at the same time, benefit our students directly. It brings people on campus who may have never been here before, and hopefully, it will encourage them to attend other events like fine arts performances or any of our athletics competitions. But it’s all about community: This event supports local students, students whom attendees may know personally.”
Alumni and community members are regular Dance-goers, including Young Harris’s Mayor Liz Ordiales and the owners of local businesses, restaurants, and clubs. Faculty and staff partake of the evening’s fun as well. It is always an opportunity to get together for a worthy cause: The Big Dance averages around $15,000 annually in funds raised, and it is one of the most significant events that supports the Bob and Carol Head Local Scholarship Campaign (LSC). For more than a decade, the Local Scholarship Campaign has given students in Fannin, Gilmer, Rabun, Towns, and Union counties in Georgia, and in Cherokee and Clay counties in North Carolina, the opportunity to learn, grow, and excel in the Enchanted Valley. Because of their incredible dedication to and support of local YHC students over the years, YHC renamed the LSC after Bob and Carol Head.
One of the crucial pieces to this event is our community sponsors, and we’re thrilled to have fourteen sponsors this year: Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos, Moog Inc., Sodexo, Century 21/Black Bear Realty, OC Roofing Systems, Towns County Lion’s Club, George’s Paint and Hardware, Walmart of Blairsville, Rotary Club of Lake Chatuge, Peach State Federal Credit Union, Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, Jubilee Party and Event Rentals, Cherokee County Chamber, and The Budd Group.
Interested in coming and kicking up your heels for a good cause? Visit https://www.yhc.edu/bigdance to purchase a table, and come join the community as we celebrate all YHC has to offer and raise money for the best of causes: our local students.
About Young Harris College
Young Harris College is a private baccalaureate and master’s degree-granting institution located in the beautiful mountains of North Georgia. Founded in 1886 and historically affiliated with The United Methodist Church, Young Harris College educates, inspires, and empowers students through an education that purposefully integrates the liberal arts and professional studies. The College has four academic divisions: Fine Arts; Humanities; Mathematics, Science, and Technology; and Professional Studies. Approximately 1,400 students are enrolled in its undergraduate, Early College, and MAT programs. The College is an active member of the NCAA Division II and remains a fierce competitor. For more information, visit yhc.edu.
###
