Jack and Jill Beautillion Ball beaux grow into manhood | Columbus Ledger-Enquirer

Robbie Tillman has been waiting 14 years for this moment.

The 17-year-old was just a toddler when his family joined the Columbus chapter of Jack and Jill of America, Inc. As the years passed, he watched many of his older friends participate in the organization’s biennial beautillion ball.

“I’ve had the privilege of growing up in Jack and Jill, seeing other young men like myself go through the whole process and tell me about it,” said Tillman, a junior at Columbus High School. “I would go to the ball and see them in their tuxedos, looking very poised, and ready for success, and as a young person it really resonated and I wanted that in my future.”

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Now, Tillman and 20 other young men are preparing for their turn as beaux at the 20th Biennial Beautillion Ball. The event will be held Dec. 16, 7 p.m., at the Columbus Convention and Trade Center. Tickets are $50 and must be purchased no later than Monday.

This year, nine of the beaux are members of Jack and Jill. Twelve others are youths from the community who have been mentored by the organization.

“We definitely have a very talented group of guys this year,” Tillman said. “The overseers of the program do a good job training and giving us mentoring advice.”

The beautillion, which focuses on the development of young men, alternates years with a local debutante for young women organized by the Orchettes Civic and Social Club. Both programs aim to give black teens the skills they need to be successful in society.

Jo Anne Hill, the beautillion ball chairperson, said this year’s event is significant because of the 20-year milestone.

“The Beautillion Ball was started out of a need for this organization to have activities and events for, primarily, people of color,” she said, “because when our Jack and Jill chapter started 50 years ago, there weren’t the opportunities for people of color that we have today.

“I think the significance of the 20th is that we are in a time in our city, in our community and our nation where there’s often so much negativity concerning our young people,” she said. “This is an opportunity to showcase that these 21 beaux, indeed, are focused, they are determined and they are polished.”

The journey started with the application process, which began in September when the organization placed applications at all area high schools. The applicants had until Dec. 20 to apply. To qualify, they had to have at least a 2.5 GPA, a recommendation from a guidance counselor and evidence that they had been involved in extracurricular activities.

Once interviewed and then chosen for the beautillion ball, the teens had to participate in various activities, such as a retreat at Pine Mountain, team- building projects, a career success workshop, a mother-and-son brunch and an etiquette clinic.

“They learned how to tie a bow tie,” Hill said. “They learned how to sit at a table for three hours with their backs erect. They learned that when a woman comes to the table at a formal event, they stand until she is seated. They learned how to correctly eat American style and international style. They learned how to say, ‘Thank you,’ and have a firm handshake while looking the person who is talking to them in the face.”

The beaux also learned how to give back to the community, helping to build a Habitat for Humanity home for Brandy Anderson, a single mother, and her two children.

“That was a long process that a lot of us weren’t familiar with,” Tillman said of the community project. “Just getting the house ready; it wasn’t in the best shape. We had to do things inside and outside the home, and it was very rewarding to see the owner of the house very happy with the work that we had done.”

On Nov. 18, the beaux held a brunch and talent show, where they presented gift cards to the family for groceries. They’ve also collected shoes for other Columbus families in need throughout the year.

One of the teens, Kysmen Wood, has his own T-shirt business and designed T-shirts for the group.

“And since August, they’ve been practicing the presentation that will go forth on Dec. 16,” Hill said. “Of course, they’ll have a waltz with their belle and with their mom, but they will also present themselves in their own way based on what they’ve been practicing since August.”

Fifty percent of proceeds from the event will go to the Jack and Jill of America Foundation to support community projects nationwide, and 50 percent will go to local charities selected by the beaux. In the past, the beautillion ball has raised anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, Hill said.

Austin Baker, 17, is another junior at Columbus High School. He has been in Jack and Jill since first grade, and he — like Tillman — is looking forward to finally being a beau.

“It brings together a group of young African American males who are going down the right track in life and exposes them to different things,” Baker said. “I think it’s one of the better events in Columbus.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, email Colgabeautillion2017@yahoo.com or go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/jack-and-jill-columbus-ga-chapter-beautillion-ball-tickets-39537828710

This story was originally published December 09, 2017 3:02 PM.