Annual Mardi Gras Charity Ball
The Junior Board of Rock Island invites you to share in its ongoing commitment to the Quad Cities. For more than ninety years, Junior Board members have strived to serve the children of our community by raising money and volunteering for local organizations. Last year our members volunteered over 4,000 hours and Junior Board donated over $50,000 to local charities championing children’s causes. We are proud to say that over the years, we have contributed over $1.7 million in donations to child-related programs in our community.
The Mardi Gras Charity Ball, beyond being a local tradition, is Junior Board’s most successful fundraiser. The monies generated from the Ball allow Junior Board to assist local organizations in providing quality programming and services to area youth.
JBRI's 87th annual Mardi Gras Charity Ball was held on Saturday, February 14th, 2026, at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center in Bettendorf. "Love Stories" was the theme of this year's ball. Co-chairing the 2026 ball were Junior Board members MaryAnn Halpin, Rock Island, and Lauren VanSpeybroeck, Bettendorf.
The evening featured a cocktail reception, followed by a formal dinner, dancing, a live and silent auction, presentation of the 2026 attendants and pages, and the coronation of the 2026 Mardi Gras king and queen. The evening's entertainment was provided by Massetone Entertainment and Moline High School Chamber Orchestra.
For this year's event, Junior Board members transformed the Waterfront Convention Center into a romantic, elegant library. The space was designed to entice you to grab a book and a blanket, then curl up in a chair to get lost in a love story. The room featured a towering book wall that served as a grand backdrop for a collection of love stories and timeless literature. In the ballroom, the aesthetic was softened by white drapery, candles, and cascading greenery paired with white, pink, and violet florals. These botanical elements were integrated directly into the decorations to create a "living" library, book nook feel.
The menu, specially created for the evening, included a House Salad, a duo of a Flat Iron Steak with Garlic Butter and Chicken Parmesan with Tomato-Mushroom Rice Pilaf, Lemon Garlic Asparagus, and one Turned Carrot or Vegan Lasagna consisting of Layered Zucchini, Squash, Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Garlic Red Sauce, Vegan Cheese Topped with Asparagus. Dessert was Red Velvet Cake and Italian Tiramisu.
This year's King and Queen were crowned at the event, Dr. Thomas VonGillern and Mrs. Sylvia Mihm.
This year's Mardi Gras ball attendants were Carsyn Bartels, Elle Harson, Abigail Holman, Shawn Kenney, and Claire Mehochko. Serving as pages for the event were William Hampton, Zachary Hansen, Tyler Johnson, Peter Keeven, Jackson Otten, William Otten-Thoms, Nico Snider, Luke VanDeHeede, and Gavin Wilburn.
Serving as Masters of Ceremonies for the event were Sara and Brent Tubbs of Rock Island.
Crown Bearers were Maddie George of Davenport and Avery Burkehead of Rock Island.
Save the Date for our 88th Annual Mardi Gras Charity Ball to be held on February 6th, 2027