Friday, August 19, 2011

Good Wine, Great Shoes

What better way to spend an evening than with shoes, wine, and ballet! Thanks to Mary Weiler, a dedicated BalletMet board member, women in Columbus have the chance to do just that. The group is called Women Wine for Shoes and they are wonderful supporters of the ballet. Their cause is shoes, shoes, and more shoes; raising money for the BalletMet Shoe Fund. After all, pointe shoes are pricey and each female BalletMet dancer needs 40 every season (That’s about 620 pairs total).

Inspired by other local social support organizations for non-profits, the concept behind Women Wine for Shoes is that women of all ages get together twice a year for a fun-filled cocktail party followed by a BalletMet performance, and make a donation to the Shoe Fund. This season they will attend Carmen in November, and Jazz Moves Columbus in February. To learn more about those shows, go here.

Weiler started this organization several years ago with about 80 guests at the first party and the numbers have been growing since. But the women who attend are not solely philanthropic in their motives, many of them are happy for the opportunity to go to the ballet with people of similar taste. Weiler says:

“During my time on the Ballet Board, I have found many women who would like to attend the Ballet, but don't have anyone with whom to go. Women Who Wine for
Shoes solves that problem! The women who attend are very diverse and of all age groups.”

Weiler hopes that this organization will expand in the future to fundraise and build events that support BalletMet, but we’ll need your help to do that. If you’ve been looking for a companion at the ballet, go here to learn more about Women Wine for Shoes. To become a member, you need only attend one event.

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