MOOSEHEART, IL, March 12 -- They may not be stationed far from home, or even active-duty military troops, but Mooseheart's Naval Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (NJROTC) preserved the tradition of the Military Ball with its annual celebration, which took place Friday evening, March 12 at the Paul J. O'Hollaren Centre on the Mooseheart campus.

So the high school boys put on their Navy dress uniforms and the girls -- with one night's dispensation -- dressed in formal gowns instead of uniforms; and there was plenty of good food and dancing in celebration of their time together.

"The military ball is a time for people to let their hair down a bit," U.S. Navy Warrant Officer (Ret.) Rick Smith, who is the lead officer of Mooseheart's NJROTC said.

"It's a time for people to get together with their comrades and to have a good time," Smith said. "They all share something in common and you want to not think so much about work but think about enjoying the night."

For those soldiers who are stationed far from home, the military ball has extreme significance. Toasting comrades who are still fighting carries poignancy because those toasts are accompanied by faces of friends and, sometimes, comrades who have fallen in service to their country. Mooseheart's students held ceremonial toasts to all five branches of the military as part of the pre-dancing program.

"When you're overseas, it's really hard to forget being away from the family sometimes," Smith said. "A time to get together with your comrades is sometimes the only good time you have in your entire deployment."

While Mooseheart's students can't possibly replicate the feeling of overseas soldiers, they did take time to bring home the need to have soldiers, a military and to be proud of those who are serving. A slide show ran through the gathering time of the ball, showing images of tragic events in the country's history, including the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor; the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City; and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

"I was really impressed with the theme and how they brought in some of the tragedies in our past like Pearl Harbor and 9/11," Mooseheart Superintendent of Education Gary Urwiler said. "It sheds a little light on this. Even though we are celebrating here tonight, our thoughts and prayers need to be with our soldiers who are out there fighting for our freedoms."

Smith said the importance of the military ball had been addressed in NJROTC classes leading to the event. While he admitted that Mooseheart's students are "kind of early in their lives to feel that understanding," he added that the student body looked forward to the event. All Mooseheart High School students participate in a mandatory NJROTC program.

"They might not enjoy the complete understanding, but they certainly look forward to it," Smith said. "I've some of them tell me that they look forward to this, even more than prom. The boys have a good time putting on their uniforms. And the girls, even though they aren't in uniform, they like dressing up and coming to this."

Mooseheart Child City & School is a 1,000-acre community and school for children and teens in need of a secure home, located just south of Batavia, IL, between Illinois Route 31 and Randall Road.

Founded in 1913, Mooseheart is supported completely through private donations - the great majority of which come from the 1.1 million men and women of the Moose fraternal organization, in more than 1,900 Lodges and 1,600 Chapters located throughout the U.S., Canada, Great Britain and Bermuda. Moose International headquarters is located on the Mooseheart campus.

Since its founding, Mooseheart has operated a complete, accredited kindergarten-through-high-school academic program, plus art, music, vocational training and interscholastic sports. It is an extremely nurturing and student-tailored program, with an average student-teacher ratio of 12-1.

Mooseheart students who complete their studies with a 3.0 GPA or better (4.0=A) are eligible for up to five years of annually renewable scholarship funding, covering tuition, room and board in an amount comparable to that required for an in-state student at an Illinois public university.

Mooseheart is currently home to nearly 250 students, ranging in age from preschoolers to high school seniors. Applications for admission to Mooseheart are considered from any family whose children are, for whatever reason, lacking a stable home environment. Mooseheart boasts its own U.S. Post Office and a fully functioning branch of Fifth Third Bank.

In addition to Mooseheart, Moose International also supports Moosehaven, a 70-acre retirement community near Jacksonville, FL founded in 1922; and conducts more than $90 million worth of community service programs annually.

Founded in 1888, the Moose organization has long offered its members an opportunity to do good for others while celebrating life, with family, social, and sporting activities. For more information on the Moose organization, visit the websites at www.mooseintl.org, www.mooseheart.org, www.moosehaven.org and www.moosecharities.org, or call 630-966-2229.