Jacqueline Smith, the proprietor of Dazzling Balloons and Beyond in Southfield, was one of 75 candidates chosen from a list of hundreds to create an immersive balloon land in Guildford, U.K., to support the Surrey Charity Network.
The chosen balloon artists will construct a Christmas wonderland, made up of more than 125,000 balloons, in Guildford from Dec. 9-15.
“We have more than 50 world-class balloon artists traveling from ten different countries to help make a difference through the joy of balloons,” says Stuart Davies, director of the Big Balloon Build. “It will be the biggest balloon installation to have even been done in the United Kingdom. This is the first time we will have worked to support multiple charities, which means a great deal to the Guildford community.”
The Big Balloon Build will take over the Charterhouse School’s sports center and create a holiday-themed exhibit out of 125,000 biodegradable balloons in just four days before opening it to the public to walk-thru and enjoy. All proceeds from the event will benefit charities in the Surrey/Guildford area that support local children.
Smith, the founder of Dazzling Balloons and Beyond, was selected from a pool of applicants to participate in the Big Balloon Build Guildford project. The UK’s Big Balloon Build will be Smith’s third time being selected use her balloon artistry. Her company’s moto is to “turn dreams into 3-D reality.”
In addition, her company hosted a drawing for metro Detroit graduating senior students who missed out on senior high school activities, providing free balloon décor for two students’ prom send-off and graduation celebrations during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith also provided balloon décor to Change The World For You (CTW4YOU) in Madison Heights, an organization created to raise awareness about autism. As a former Women, Infants, and Children nutritionist, Smith recognized the impact of autism on families and caregivers. By getting involved with this organization, she was able to make CTW4YOU charitable events more festive despite limited resources.
