Behind the Scenes of the Father-Daughter Dance

Feb.11 was a special day on Spartan Lane for many young girls and their dads, as it marked the fourth annual Father-Daughter Dance. Some may think the campus tradition is purely a fun way for girls to bond with their dads, dance with their friends, and eat a lot of sugar, but there’s a lot more to this event than meets the eye.  

The Father-Daughter Dance is put on by the CARE Club, a student organization dedicated to raising money and awareness for childhood illnesses. 

Aside from bringing joy to K-6th grade girls and their dads, the dance additionally benefits children with cancer and long-term illnesses by fundraising for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA). 

The dance is just one way that CARE Club strives to make it easier for Athens Academy community members to get involved and volunteer. 

“Our goal is to create school-wide collaborative projects to both encourage service and also community building,” senior club member Alexis Keeney says. 

Keeney has been a CARE Club council member since her sophomore year and has been involved with helping others her whole life, as both of her parents have disabilities. Her background is a prominent reason for her involvement in the club and for going into sociology at Georgia College. 

“I enjoy (being in the club) because it’s both allowing me to help others but also plan events,” Keeney says. She enjoys facilitating volunteer work and encouraging her fellow students to get involved in the community. 

The CARE Club’s work was affected in 2020-2021 when CHOA was no longer accepting gifts because one of the club’s main events is the tying of pillowcases that will be donated to CHOA. However, the club is back up and running this year with hopes of continuing to make an impact on the greater community. 

“It seems like now that we’re re-emerging from pandemic protocols and trying to find the best way to navigate this new path forward, we’re finding what events really matter to us. It seems to me that students really do want to find a way to serve,” says Nikki Chester, faculty club sponsor and Upper School science teacher. 

The Father-Daughter dance is one of many volunteer opportunities presented to club members and other students, and it offers a variety of ways to help out. 

This dance’s profit goes towards preparing care packages for children at CHOA. The CARE Club has an event dedicated to assembling the bags coming up on April 13. 

“We want to be able to provide a child and a family in the hospital a little care package that maybe brightens up just one of their mornings,” Chester says.

The CARE Club is always looking for volunteers to help their mission, whether that means coming in before school to pack bags for care packages, fundraising on one’s own, or even running the candy table at the Father-Daughter Dance. If you are interested in getting involved, contact [email protected].