Eve Ball raises money for Carson’s scholarship fund

Lori Burgwyn had only a few chances to talk with Eve Carson, yet she took a lead role in promoting her legacy Friday night.

Nearly 300 people donned costumes, danced and celebrated at the third annual Eve Ball with a goal of preserving Carson’s memory underlying the festivities.

Burgwyn, who owns Franklin Street Yoga Center, started the Eve Ball in 2009 as an annual costume party fundraiser for the Eve Carson Scholarship.

The ball was a way to respond to the former student body president’s tragic death in 2008, she said.

Carson attended sessions at Burgwyn’s yoga center for a few months that year, leaving an impression on Burgwyn.

“When you met her, you knew there was something special about her,” she said. “Her death affected everybody, whether you knew her personally or not. I thought the Eve Ball was something I could do to keep her memory alive.”

Attendees showcased a variety of costumes, such as a giant fluorescent lightbulb, the YouTube honey badger and a couple of dead Titanic passengers.

A group of “Mad Men,” a tribute to Steve Jobs and Apple, and the Kia hamsters competed in the Ball’s costume contest.

Kia’s popular hip-hop hamsters took first place after receiving a nearly perfect score.

Since the Eve Ball began in 2009, it has raised nearly $26,000 for the Eve Carson Scholarship, which rewards students who have grown during their time at UNC.

This year, Burgwyn hopes to add another $12,000 to that total. She said she will know final totals early this week.

But organizers and attendees said they felt a responsibility to celebrate and commemorate Carson’s legacy that transcended dollars.

This year’s graduating class will be the first that did not have Carson as its student body president.

Andrew Coonin, an alumnus who worked on Carson’s student body president campaign, said the scholarship and events like the Eve Ball are paramount to keeping her memory alive as fewer and fewer students share a personal connection with her.

“Eve impacted everyone she knew,” he said. “This and the scholarship remind us of who she was and what she meant, even to those who didn’t know her.”

“This is about doing great things and having a great time doing it, which really describes how she was.”

Coonin said the junior-year scholarship was originally part of Carson’s platform and was created as a way to finish what she began. But now the scholarship plays a pivotal role in recalling Carson’s life.

Meg Petersen, a graduate student and member of the scholarship selection committee, said it also shows Carson’s continued effect on the community.

“Eve was a catalyst,” she said. “She is still affecting change and always will, even without being here.”

Junior Abby Bouchon, a member of the scholarship’s executive board, said that though many of Carson’s personal connections at the University have moved away, her legacy will remain.

“Eve’s memory will not diminish with time,” she said. “Now we’re celebrating and remembering the impact she had on this campus. Her memory represents the ability we all have to make an impact, and she helps us all aspire to that.”

The event’s attendees consisted of a balance of students and community members, like Christy Rutan, who did not know Carson but said the Eve Ball has helped her understand who she was.

“All of this helps connect you to her, and connect her to me,” she said. “And it’s helped her continue to make a difference.”

Burgwyn hopes The Eve Ball will continue for many years as a fundraiser for the scholarship — and most importantly, as a celebration of Carson’s life.

“Her legacy is to give back and make a difference,” she said. “And this inspires people to be a part of the community, have fun and to give back.”

Contact the City Editor