Batavia Key Club Fundraiser is a Success!

On Saturday, January 21, Batavia Key Club put on their mock male beauty pageant Mr. BHS as their annual fundraiser for the Spastic Paralysis Research Foundation. The event was held on the main stage of the Batavia Fine Arts Centre, and it was emceed by two junior Key Club members - president Maggie Keating and secretary Sara Wheat. Twelve boys competed for the title and participated in events such as formal wear, swim suit, and talent. Senior boy Ben Paoletti took top honors as Mr. BHS 2017. !st Runner Up went to senior Kyle Berry, and 2nd Runner up went to sophomore JJ Martinez. There were many great talents this year, including singing, playing a montage of musical instruments, a Star Wars battle scene, and a reenactment of the Jingle Bell Rock scene from the movie Mean Girls.

All boys were escorted by a female Key Club member. These highly coveted positions are awarded to the students who have the most volunteer hours in their grade. Contestants and escorts carry around buckets and fundraise for weeks before the big event. The dresses worn the night of the event are on loan from Special Occasions - all twelve girls and both emcees had the opportunity to pick out a dress to wear on stage. Men's Wearhouse donated the tuxedos for all the contestants. As a thank you to the boys for giving their time and energy to make this a success, donations are solicited from throughout the community, and boys receive a goody bag filled with gift cards and coupons to local businesses.

After fundraising, ticket sales, the bake sale, a miracle minute, and auctioning the boys off for a dream date at the end of the show, approximately $7, 500 was raised for the Spastic Paralysis Research Foundation. According to the Illinois-Eastern Iowa Key Club website, "Spastic Paralysis is the Illinois-Eastern Iowa District Project. For years we have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Spastic Paralysis. We have funded money for new software to help Doctors in surgery nationwide. What is spastic paralysis? It is a chronic pathological condition in which the muscles are affected by persistent spasms and exaggerated tendon reflexes because of damage to motor nerves of the central nervous system." Every year, the money raised from this great event is donated to this very important cause.