Fathers and daughters are invited to a special, thrilling night at the Mt. Orab Elementary School on Saturday, March 25, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. The Mt. Orab Police Association is hosting their “Policeman’s Ball: Father Daughter Dance” for the second year in a row. The dance will last for two hours, concluding at 9:00 p.m. This year’s music will be provided by the Tyler Spitznagel DJ Services. There will also be photo sessions as provided by Paige Rolph Photography Not only will fathers and daughters get to have a fun time together, but also all proceeds acquired at the event will benefit the community. There is a $20 admission fee for each father/daughter duo, with an addition $5 per extra sibling and $10 per extra adult.
Last year marked the first Policeman’s Ball: Father Daughter Dance, which had a phenomenal turnout. The proceeds obtained went to replacing a basketball backboard at a local apartment complex. The restored basketball backboard presented many opportunities for the kids of the community. They could enjoy the outdoors, get exercise, and meet new friends. Right now, where the proceeds of the upcoming Policeman’s Ball are going is being held back as a surprise. Jason Hahn, Chief of the Mt. Orab Police hinted that the proceeds will fund something for the youth again.
“Our big focus right now is building that relationship with the youth of the community.” Jason Hahn, Chief of the Mt. Orab Police said.
It’s the first year that there’s been a school resource officer at the Mt. Orab Elementary, which has had a tremendously positive impact on the kids. A relationship with authority figures is being built early on, encouraging it to flourish further as the kid grows up. For a while, kids became disinterested in the idea of being a firefighter, a first responder, or a police officer. Now with the resource officer present in the school, that has since changed.
“Having that officer back there with these children again, they’ve seen an increase in the amount of children that you know, are wanting to go in that direction again.” Hahn said.
Incorporating the resource officer into the elementary school is just one way that the police department is getting involved with the youth of the community. The father daughter dance is another example. The event was originally hosted by a group of woman associated with Mary Kay, the skin care and cosmetic company, for a handful of years. They passed the torch to the Mt. Orab Police Association, gifting props, decorations, and helpful suggestions on how to approach hosting the event.
“We were blessed that they allowed us to take it over.” Hahn said. “We can’t thank them enough for that.”
Once the news of the new hosts got out, local businesses in addition to the wives and girlfriends of the police officers were overjoyed to lend their helping hands. All were eager to participate in making the father daughter dance a unique, enjoyable experience for the attendees. The wives and girlfriends of the officers began meeting frequently since the beginning of February to plan for the dance. Every community event held is always a combined effort of many members of the village, creating a remarkable outcome that none could forget.
Soft, fragrant carnations donated by the Mt. Orab Treasure Chest Florist and Gift Shop will be given to the daughters during the dance. There are going to be stations set up during the dance for the daughters to participate in. Last year, there was a craft station. Small fingers bent the fuzzy ends of pipe cleaners, shaping them into a simple butterfly resting atop a coiled ring. Once finished, the girls proudly slipped the ring onto their finger, cheerfully showing it off to their father and friends. The enthusiasm is shared between the parent and child, full grin and energetic tone expressing their enjoyment. Relationships are being built between all members of the community; fathers, daughters, local businesses, police officers, and police officers’ significant others.
Last year’s father daughter dance was held on a Friday, which posed some difficulties for those wishing to attend. Many fathers were getting off of work and daughters were getting out of school, making things a tad stressful. The Mt. Orab Police Association decided to change the event to a Saturday instead to rid any unnecessary anxiety. The officers wanted attendees to be able to enjoy the event to the fullest. With most not working Saturdays, it gives room for everyone to take their time to prepare. It also gives leniency for fathers to be able to take their daughters out for dinner or do other fun things beforehand if they wished to.
The planners of the dance recognize that not every girl may have a father figure to escort her, so the police officers are willing to take that position instead. Ryan Gregory can be emailed at Ryan.Gregory@MtOrabOH.US if one wishes to request an officer to escort their daughter. The Mt. Orab Police Association and all involved deliberately planned all aspects of the event to make it a wonderful night for everyone. Much time, energy, and thought was put into making the dance possible; it took a lot of members of the community to make it as special is it is. The Mt. Orab Police Association expresses their heartfelt thanks to all of those who are helping.
“Once we post everything on Facebook, they [local businesses, wives, and girlfriends of officers] get to see the pictures of all the smiling faces with carnations and different things like that. That’s what makes it full circle and that’s what you know, makes it all worth it.” Hahn said.