FAYETTEVILLE — It will be a true who’s who as partygoers guess who’s behind sequined and feathered masks at the Walton Arts Center’s Masquerade Ball on March 4.
“Black tie is optional, but masks are essential,” says Steve Collins, one of the chairmen of the Walton Arts Center Corporate Leadership Council. Proceeds from the ball will help fund the council’s mission of supporting arts education for students throughout Northwest Arkansas.
Collins, a member of the Walton Arts Center board of directors, helped form the council in 2009 with co-chairman Dante Anderson, also a member of the board.
The council’s main mission is to help offset travel costs for school systems who have students attending arts center performances.
“Many of the programs are already underwritten by corporations, but you still have to get the kids from the school into the arts center, and that is thegap this program is trying to cover,” says Collins, a vice president of sales for Mars Inc.
Money raised will help cover costs of children’s productions and educational programs for students and teachers.
“We want to ensure that every student in Northwest Arkansas has a chance to have at least one performing arts experience every year,” Collins says. “We are also looking for ways to take the performances to the children.”
This will be the firstfundraiser for the Corporate Leadership Council. They chose a masquerade ball because they wanted an event that wasn’t being done often in Northwest Arkansas, while also tying in theatrics, he says.
“We thought, let’s have a masquerade ball because you are kind of performing in a way [by wearing] a mask,” Collins says.
The secondary mission of the council is to develop leaders, Collins says.
Membership consists of professionals from all over Northwest Arkansas including physicians, lawyers and corporate leaders. Each member commits to raising about $3,000 for the council every year.
So far, they’ve raised about $100,000 for the masquerade ball through ticket sales and corporate sponsorships, leaving about $14,000 more to raise for the 38-member council.
Collins hopes they can reach their goal at the masquerade ball with sales from the live and silent auctions. A few of the itemsup for auction are a NASCAR driving experience with Bobby Labonte; a shopping spree in Chicago; dinnerwith Sen. John Boozman; and a chef’s jacket signed by Emeril Lagasse.
While guests try to decidewho’s who behind the masks, entertainment will beckon from every corner of the arts center. The Fayetteville JazzCollective will provide dance music, and aerial acrobats will perform in the Starr Theater. Table games including craps, blackjack and roulette will be available in the McBride Studio.
Collins credits Corporate Leadership Council event leaders Sara Lilygren and Candace Taylor for putting together an evening that he expects will become an annual fundraiser.
“They have done an amazing job of pulling this together and leading it,” Collins says.
Collins says he’s always looking for opportunities to help his community, especially to benefit children. He and his wife, Lori, co-chair the Color of Hope Event benefiting Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock.
“It’s fun to watch their faces and their eyes because you can see it soaking in and making an impact, an impression on them,” Collins says of kids watching a live performance. “It’s exciting to see that type of amazement and wonderment.” The masquerade ball is at 7 p.m. March 4. Tickets are $150 each. For tickets call (479) 443-5600 or visit
waltonartscenter.org
.
Northwest Profile, Pages 35 on 02/20/2011