By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The Niles Area Service League kept the tradition going, with its 70th Annual Charity Ball.
The ball was held at the Knollwood Country Club on Saturday night from 7 p.m. to midnight. Approximately 150 people were in attendance.
The evening started off with a social hour, followed by dinner, a basket raffle and dancing.
The charity ball is one of the largest fundraisers for the Service League and all of the proceeds go to help the children of Niles, Brandywine and Buchanan.
During the last year the Service League was able to provide more than $15,000 in donations to scholarship recipients and 30 local programs in the area which serve children.
As the guests arrived they were able to purchase as many raffle tickets as they would like. The prices for the tickets were 20 for $25, 60 for $50 or 150 for $100.
There were 65 different baskets available at the raffle. They were all possible due to donations from area businesses and service league members.
Some of the prizes included, a trip in a small plane over Lake Michigan at sunset, with dinner at the Pump House restaurant in St. Joseph, a gift pack to Curious Kids Museum, a leaf blower, a trip on a Lake Michigan charter fishing boat, a basket filled with Tupperware and even a karoke machine.
The grand prize for the evening was a Kodak digital camera, along with a printing dock to print out pictures taken with the new camera. Tickets were also purchased to win this prize.
Guests were able to get a look at all of the baskets as they were displayed on tables around the edge of the room.
After a dinner of baked chicken, and salmon, with potatoes and mixed vegetables was served, the drawing for the baskets took place.
But before the baskets were given away, Bucholz thanked everyone who is involved with the Service League. "The Niles Service League started in 1934, with five women who wanted to help dress school children, who weren't dressed for the weather and today we are still going strong," said Bucholz.
She talked about some of the key things that the group has done over the past 70 years for the community which include, buying the first iron lung for the Niles hospital, campaigning for floride in the city water, holding golf charity, giving out scholarships to high school students and providing for the needs of school children.
The service league's next big fundraiser usually would be a charity golf outing. This year they have decided instead to hold a charity raffle in the spring.
They will be holding their annual spring rummage sale on March 19 at the Michiana Christian Embassy in Niles.