Thieves steal jewelry from Clearwater homecoming charity - WFLA
CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — A charity group that helps high school girls get ready for homecoming and prom is in need of some help itself after a burglary.
Belle of the Ball was burglarized last week. Jewelry, that is used to help accessorize beautiful dresses worn by teens in need, was taken from the shop.
A few decorative pieces is all that remains in this jewelry case.
“I would say, ‘Shame on you.’ Hopefully, it’s just young kids that did that, quick vandalism so to speak. But everyone hears about it says, shame on you, that’s terrible,” said Belle of the Ball, COO Joe Marteski.
He came across a broken window last week.
“And then I came in the glass on the ground and the jewelry on the floor and then I came over here and some of the jewelry had been taken,” he said.
Belle of the Ball was burglarized last week.
The organization works with high school girls.
“We give the girls a dress, and we give them shoes and we give them a purse and to complement their ensemble, we give them jewelry to go along with it. It’s just inexpensive costume jewelry. But we do purchase it. That’s what we purchase, use most of our donations for, other than our utilities, we buy jewelry for them,” said Marteski.
Now the non-profit will have to use reserved funds to make up for the loss. Organizers don’t want this incident, to take the shine away from the girls’ special night.
“They spend a great deal of time and energy in trying to give the girls a special shopping experience and to have something like this happen, it hurts,” he said.
Marteski said it cost close to $500 to replace the stolen jewelry.
Belle of the Ball will open October 8th and 24th to continue their mission of helping teens get ready for homecoming.
If you are interested in helping, contact COO Joe Marteski at (727) 580-0891.
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