A Story Behind the Ball, the Rhinestone Cowboy Ball that is

Any given Saturday over the season you can find an amazing charity to support - by day or by night. Here's why you should consider supporting a scholarship fund... in cowboy boots.

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Red shirt or blue? Peanut butter and jelly or turkey and cheese? Playground friend or foe?

These are some of the worries my kids have these days.

Little things are often big things for little ones.

When 20-year-old Jackson Destine of Delray Beach was little, his worries were big.

“I just really had to survive as a child growing up,” said Jackson.

He knew what it was like to share a single mattress with five kids and one blanket.

He knew what it meant to be evicted and homeless.

He knew the difference between crack and cocaine because it surrounded him on the streets.

He knew what it felt like to be bullied because of the color of his skin.

He knew that if he didn’t wake up on his own, he wouldn’t get to school.

“No one ever woke me up to go to school. Going to school was a decision,” said Jackson.

With his grandmother’s encouragement, Jackson decided to not only go to school but to excel at it.

During his high school years, you could say he learned to uncover little gems under huge rocks... little gems that many often miss.

Instead of going through the motions, Jackson looked for opportunities.

George Snow Scholarship Fund scholar Jackson Destine speaks at Boca's Ballroom Battle 2019

When his family couldn’t afford high school athletic fees, his coaches allowed him to sell candy to cover the costs.

When bills couldn’t be paid at home, he used his Arby’s check to pay them.

And when he heard about scholarship application opportunities, he signed up. For any of them. For all of them.

One of those opportunities was the George Snow Scholarship Fund.

He applied and soon became a 2018 George Snow scholar and Florida State University student.

Jackson says the George Snow Scholarship Fund team - a team that helped get him to college, collect supplies for college and stay in college - is like a family.

“They are always in contact with me via phone and email to check up. They helped me apply for food stamps when I was on my last penny with nothing to eat, assisted me with furthering my education by paying for summer tuition, and had it not been for the George Snow committee and my donors, I would have been homeless,” said Jackson.

Because of his hard work, scholarships and so many mentors along the way, Jackson is not homeless.

And because of Jackson… neither is his 9-year-old cousin, Rayshon.

As if college isn't enough, Jackson Destine is Rayshon’s legal guardian. Jackson makes sure his young cousin gets a good night’s sleep, goes to school, has a meal on the table and someone by his side.

Ask Jackson if he has shared all he has learned through life with his third-grade sidekick and he says...

“He shares what he learns.. with me."

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The Rhinestone Cowboy Ball, Boots & Bling event is at the Boca Raton Resort & Club on February 29, 2020! Click here to support the scholars and purchase event tickets ($250 per person) or raffle tickets ($100 per person). Event tickets include cocktails, a gourmet smokehouse BBQ Boca Resort dinner, dancing, bourbon tasting, bull riding and more. The event benefits The George Snow Scholarship Fund which provides college scholarships to underserved South Florida students.