Plateau Magazine June-July 2023

charities
In Step at the Barn
Dance
Mountain Youth Charities holds event to benefit
youth programs
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE
2019, the Mountain Youth
Charities (MYC) Barn Dance
is swinging back into action at
a remodeled venue offering an
evening of food and fun to help local youth
organizations.
Scheduled for June 23 from 6 to 11 p.m.
at Chimney Pond Farm in Glenville, the
Barn Dance will feature live music from
Songs From the Road Band, square dancing
with caller Joe Sam Queen, line dancing
with Danie Beck, a silent auction and a
catered meal from On the Side Barbeque.
The event, which began in 2017 but took a
break from 2020-2022 due to COVID, attracts
about 200 patrons and raises about
By JUDY ROYAL
$60,000 annually. Proceeds benefit the
Blue Ridge School Education Foundation,
Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM)—
who will also perform at the Barn Dance—
and other youth programs that apply for
grants.
“It’s a great time, and it’s going to benefit
our children,” MYC President Marcia
Shawler said. “It’s a fun and unusual night
out for a good cause.”
MYC is a local volunteer-run organization
that was founded in 2013 to manage
$300,000 raised by two Mountain Challenge
tennis tournaments featuring Andy
Roddick and Jim Courier. These funds enabled
the launch of the Boys & Girls Club of
the Plateau and provided the leadership to
run the after-school program during its first
year.
Since then, MYC has continued to operate
independently from the Boys & Girls
Club, raising funds for a variety of other
children’s charities.
“We just want to give the youth of the
plateau more opportunities by enhancing
the existing programs,” Shawler said. “It’s a
way to allow things to get a little bit better.”
Through the Blue Ridge School Education
Foundation, the Barn Dance will benefit
the Blue Ridge Early College Athletic
Booster Club and the Blue Ridge Parent
Teacher Organization (PTO). Funding
from the event allows the school to purchase
necessary educational items and
otherwise provide support not included in
the regular operating budget, former foundation
President Carl Hyde explained.
“It gives the school the opportunity to really
stay on the cutting edge of things they
need for academic achievement and social
development for the kids,” he said. “This
is a very giving community, and there’s
a pretty good cross-section of people who
want to support schools and youth. The
Barn Dance has been a workable event that
allows a lot of people in the community to
participate and give to causes they believe
in. We look forward to it, and I know the
proceeds will be well used.”
“Everyone benefits when our school and
community work together,” PTO Chair Ali
Moody said. “The PTO gives parents a platform
to enhance their child’s educational
experience. Students feel a greater sense of
belonging inside and outside the classroom.
When we work together to achieve common
goals, we better our whole community.”
Many past Barn Dance attendees are excited
about the opportunity to get together
with friends and neighbors again. Those
who want to brush up on their line dancing
skills before the event may take lessons
from Beck, sponsored by Cashiers School of
the Arts, on Mondays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at
The Village Green in Cashiers. Admission
prices vary by single or couple and weekly
or full season. To participate, simply show
up; no advance registration is required. P
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2019 Barn Dance.
Learning steps for
Line Dancing. Danie
Beck, Instructor.
For more information about the Barn Dance
or to purchase tickets, which are $200 per
person, visit www.mountainyouthcharities.org.
Tickets are also available at the
Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce.