The Debutantes
For more than 50 years, the Leon County Chapter’s signature event has been the Debutante Presentation and Ball. Since the inaugural presentation of 16 Debutantes in 1971, we have presented over 500 young ladies to the Tallahassee community and provided tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships. These local high school students go through a year-long journey of philanthropic and community service projects, and are prepared to take their steps towards finer womanhood. They are academic leaders at their respective schools, members of various clubs and organizations including student government, honor societies and sporting teams. These young ladies also spend countless hours volunteering in the Big Bend area and have gone on to pursue diverse careers.
The Junior Debutantes
The Junior Debutantes are young ladies in their sophomore or junior year in high school. They participate in community service activities and enjoy social activities throughout the year, and serve as hostesses during the Debutante Presentation.
In years past, our Junior Debutantes have dedicated volunteer hours to organizations such as the Urban League of Tallahassee and the Early Learning Coalition of the Big Bend.
Howard University Cancer Center
In 1981, The Charmettes, Incorporated adopted a national thrust to eradicate cancer in our lifetime. In addition to our cancer awareness and education programs, we have contributed more than $1 million to the Howard University Cancer Center in Washington, D.C., to support cancer research and services. In 2006, the chemotherapy infusion center was named The Charmettes, Incorporated Gwendolyn B. Rogers Chemotherapy Infusion Suite in honor of the long term generous support that The Charmettes, Inc. has provided to the Howard University Cancer Center.
The Leon County Chapter won the national award for contributing the highest amount in 2017 and 2018.
