You can help three charities and meet an extraordinary teen

Ally Dyer had a list of things to do this summer. They don’t seem so out of the ordinary for a 15-year-old: Babysit her three younger brothers, go to youth and church camps, vacation in the Wisconsin Dells.

Then there’s this addition: Organize a dinner, from silent auction to live music, to help three local charities. It is Aug. 13 at Fischer’s Restaurant in Belleville. So far, 100 tickets have been sold for the Blessing Belleville Banquet.

“That was my beginning goal,” said the soon-to-be sophomore at Belleville East High School.

She’s a seasoned pro. When she was 10, she told her dad she had decided to raise money for a homeless shelter in Mount Vernon, where her family lived at the time. Dad Rob was on the homeless shelter’s board and often talked about the needs of the people there.

“I thought we’d be selling candy bars,” he said with a grin about his compassionate daughter’s inaugural attempt at raising money for a good cause. But no. Ally wanted a dinner.

Now pastor at First United Presbyterian Church in Belleville, Rob had experience fundraising.

A venue was needed, he told her. Ally went before the school board in town to ask to use the gym for the dinner.

“She asked me how to get food and I said, ‘Well, you either get it donated or you buy it,’” Rob said.

He drove her to the Mount Vernon restaurant she hoped to use. He stayed in the car. Ally went inside and convinced the owner to help her feed a crowd for free.

“Then, she wanted to go to Dairy Queen,” Rob said. His daughter got the Dilly Bars free, too.

“I did everything on my own: I got the location and I got the food and I recruited the entertainment,” Ally said.

Then, she did it all again the following year when she was 11. Total money raised from two dinners: $7,000.

“It was enough money to sponsor a whole room (at the shelter),” she said Thursday, sitting with her dad in their living room.

Rob grinned. “I just unleashed her.”

Not one to rest on her laurels, Ally expressed concern that there had been a gap of a few years where she didn’t do any fundraising.

Life just got a little busy when the family moved to Belleville, her dad’s hometown, three years ago, she said. That’s when Rob became pastor at the Royal Heights Road church.

Mom Sarah is in Chicago for the summer working on her Ph.D. and home on weekends. Brothers Nathan, 13; Austin, 11; and Carson, 9, need a little wrangling from their older sister.

Ally, who has taken dancing lessons since she was 2, is a member of the varsity dance team at East. She takes all honors classes and carries a 4.9 grade-point average.

Still, she knew it was time to gather her energy and begin reaching out to plan another campaign.

“I feel called to do this,” she said. “I feel I have a God-given talent for this. It would be a waste if I don’t use it.”

The Blessing Belleville Banquet on Aug. 13 will help Beacon Ministries, Caritas Family Solutions and Project Compassion. Tickets are $40. The event includes a buffet dinner at Fischer’s, a silent auction and live music by local artist Bailey Guinn.

Ally is the emcee for the evening. She’s working on a speech. A short one. Her focus now is on selling more tickets to raise more money. She believes in the philosophy of a little less talk and a lot more action.

“For me, it’s not ‘going to do it,’ it’s about doing it,” Ally said.

Her dad smiles.

“She’s incredible,” he said. “We are overwhelmingly proud of her. She constantly surprises me with how big her heart is.”

This story was originally published August 5, 2016 at 11:03 AM with the headline "You can help three charities and meet an extraordinary teen."