On Friday, February 12 from 7-9 pm, Hollis Brookline students came together to help make lasting memories for both little girls and their fathers. The Lawrence Barn in Hollis was adorned with Valentine’s Day decorations like red and white lights, hearts, and balloons, which made the night all the more magical. The Daddy-Daughter Sweetheart Dance is an annual event in which fathers are able to bring their beautifully dressed young princesses to a night they’ll never forget.

Jenna Swabowicz ‘17 has played a large role in making the dance happen each year. She and her family started helping out with the event about five years ago. Since they were the most involved family next to the last family that hosted the dance, they decided to take over full time around two years ago.

Swabowicz explained that “It’s really nice to see all of the girls dressed up. I used to go so it’s really nostalgic and nice to pass the happiness [that she had as a kid attending the dance] down to the next generation.”

This year marked the 10th anniversary for the dance, meaning that volunteers like Caroline Kroeger ‘17 and Sarah Crocker ‘17 all attended some of the first dances with their own fathers around 10 years ago.

“I remembered how much fun I had with my dad at those dances, so it was nice to be able to see other girls who were my age when I attended them. It brought back a lot of good memories,” Kroeger stated.

Each ticket to the annual Daddy Daughter Dance costs $10, but all proceeds go to a charity. This year’s deserving causes were the Pink Ride (a local snowmobile ride which is put together in order to raise money and awareness for breast cancer) as well as the St. Joseph’s Hospital Breast Cancer Center.

In total, this year’s dance raised around $1,200 for its charities. Volunteers like the Swabowicz family from Hollis helped to make this a reality by donating their time and resources to make the night one for the books.