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This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
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The 5th Annual Chick Ball will be Saturday, July 25, and will again benefit the Center for Violence Prevention. We bought them a new mini-van last year; this year our goal is to raise at least $20,000 in seed money for Jackson’s first batterer intervention program. In addition to the ball itself, form 6 p.m. to 1 a.m., this year we are adding a special play performance on Friday, July 24, at Hal & Mal’s, as well as Saturday events for teens. Watch for more details! Right now, though, we need you to volunteer, donate prizes or become a sponsor (starts at $50 up to $2,500+ to be a diva sponsor). And sign up for our Twitter feed @jfpchickball so you don’t miss anything. To get involved, write [e-mail missing].

Oh, and let us know if you have a nomination for the Chick Ball award this year, which goes to someone in the community fighting family violence or its effects.

Previous Comments

I can’t believe that the Chick Ball is already at its 5th anniversary! Wow. Excited for it, as always. Best party of the year.


Wow. Will be there with bells on. This is fantastic!


I know. This one is gearing up to be a big one. We are going to raise some of the initial funding for a program to help abusers stop being abusers. We going for the root of the problem; it’ll be the best program of its kind in and around Jackson. The closest is in Meridian. I get chills just thinking of how exciting it will be to help get this going, and how many lives (including of the abuser) and families this could save.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.