CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 8th annual UNCF Charlotte Mayor’s Masked Ball focuses on raising awareness of the need and benefits of college education, the students UNCF serves, and the contributions of historically Black colleges and universities across North Carolina.
Every year this event raises college scholarship money for minorities across North Carolina.
“All of us can point to kids who have benefitted by those scholarships. That’s the real reason why we do what we do,” said former Charlotte mayor Harvey Gantt who will be honored at the event.
The ball was held Saturday, March 19 at the Westin uptown and WCNC Charlotte anchors Fred Shropshire and Vanessa Ruffes were the emcees. This is the first time the event was in-person since the pandemic started.
The event also honored former Bank of America CEO Hugh McColl.
“If you and I each took one person and moved them forward, then we would have accomplished a lot,” McColl told Shropshire. “So if we could get everybody to just take one person and help move one person forward we’d solve all of our problems as a nation.”
Gantt and McColl are trailblazers in business and civic engagement, and both will be presented with the distinguished UNCF “Masked Award” during the event.
UNCF’s goal this year is to raise more than $1M. Donations can be made online.