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By EMILY REED | Special to the Reporter

HELENA – Girls in grades kindergarten through fifth grade were invited to bring their father to a sweetheart “Candyland” dance held on Feb. 18 that benefitted the Helena Athletic Club Association.

The dance was held at the Helena Sports Complex from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. and featured a DJ, food trucks and lots of dancing.

Josh Johnson, president of the Helena Athletic Club Association, said the event raised close to $10,000 from the dance, with about 400 tickets sold.

“The fundraiser goes toward helping all our athletic programs at Helena High School and Middle School with equipment needs, facilities improvements, travel expenses, meals, etc.,” Johnson said. “Basically, anything we deem necessary to help improve any of our athletic programs. This dance has been a good fundraiser for us over the past and we believe it is a good way for dads to treat their daughters to a special night out.”

Dads were offered the opportunity to buy a raffle ticket and one girl was randomly selected to be the “Candyland Sweetheart.” This year’s winner was Brynlee Runnels.

Johnson said the Helena Athletic Association offers a membership for any parents or people of the community to join.

“This is a way for people to stay connected to all things sports at Helena High School and Middle School,” Johnson said. “Also, it encourages parents to be involved in the kid’s athletic programs and provides us a way of supporting our athletic teams and their coaches by being able to help them when they have needs come up during their seasons.”