GREENSBORO, N.C. — May is National Nurses Month, and nurses in the Triad celebrated in a big way this year.

The Carolina Nurses League held its first Nurses Ball on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at George K’s Catering . The event was originally planned for May 2020, but the pandemic forced a rescheduling.

Carolina Nurses League’s social media chair, Cynthia Harrington, was inspired by the popular soap opera, General Hospital, where nurses hold a grand ball each May.

“Why can’t we do that? Here, in Greensboro, with a bunch of nurses,” Harrington asked.

She met with Vice President Dana Lee-Hines and President Timothy Henderson to bring the idea to life in late 2019. The National Nurses Association and the World Health Organization deemed 2020 to be the Year of the Nurse. Little did they know, nurses would be battling on the frontlines through the coronavirus pandemic.

“When we started planning the ball at the end of 2019, start of 2020, we had no idea that it truly would be the year of the nurse”, Hines recalled.

Through the pandemic and months of uncertainty, Hines and Harrington continued to plan their inaugural event. With easing restrictions, the CNL trudged forward with their plans to have the ball this May. 

“We need to come together, we tried before, it didn’t work because it wasn’t time but we tried again, in a pandemic,” Harrington said.

From selecting a range of desserts at Maxie B’s bakery to setting up the venue with custom-made center pieces, Harrington, Hines and Henderson spent countless hours preparing for a perfect night.

“Enjoy yourselves. This is your day,” said Henderson in his opening remarks.

Nurses received a warm welcome from Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan and a thank you from Congresswoman Kathy Manning. The CNL celebrated getting through the worst of the pandemic, and honored those they’ve lost.

Hines says the Carolina Nurses League plans to hold another Nurses Ball on May 14, 2022.