KALISPELL — At first glance, the annual Princess Ball in Kalispell appears to be a night of tuxes and tiaras. But it's the story behind the ball that makes it so much more.
In 2008, the Faith family received devastating news: Their nearly 3-year-old daughter, Valicity, had been diagnosed with leukemia and had to begin treatment.
"She was an absolutely vibrant, amazing little girl. She had this laughter that just brought people together and put smiles on everybody's faces," said Josh Faith, Valicity's father.
Fourteen months later, Valicity entered remission, and as a celebration of life, the Faiths held a princess ball for their daughter.
"She was always our little princess, and so we decided to have a princess ball with friends and family," Faith said.
But Valicity's battle with cancer was unfortunately not over. She relapsed and tragically passed away in 2010, leaving her parents, Josh and Candy, needing an outlet to grieve their daughter.
"Her mother and I needed something to get ourselves going in the right direction. We kept telling her when she relapsed, 'If you kick cancer's butt, we'll definitely have another princess ball.' So my wife came up with the idea to host another princess ball as kind of a give back," Faith said.
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Now, 14 Princess Balls later, the event has become a staple in the Flathead with dresses, dancing and the sharing of Valicity's memory.
"The opportunity for us to talk about her, talk about and share who she is and what she was. She's not here with us in person, but she's with us every day. So it's an opportunity to be able to pass that on and share that with others," Faith said.
The Princess Ball also gives back, with 100 percent of the profits from ticket sales, donations and raffle items going to charities that have supported the family in the past.
"There were different organizations that we utilized during our time over in Seattle that I felt didn't receive the public gratification or notification of who they are and what they are. So by hosting the princess ball, we're trying to get the public's awareness out about these organizations as well as raising the monetary funds for them. We've been pleased to be able to give back over a million dollars to these organizations," Faith said.
This year, the profits will go toward the Montana Hope Project and 406 for Kids, but changes may soon come to the Princess Ball.
"Our daughter would be 21 years old and so our daughter is making the transition from a princess to a queen, so we do have some changes coming up with the princess ball, were looking to do something differently in the future we're not at liberty to share yet, but we're excited for what the future is going to hold," Faith said.
