Dancing for the Stars Raises $10,000
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It was a night of excitement and fresh dance moves at the Vidalia Community Center on Thursday, February 28, as the annual Dancing for the Stars event raised $10,000 in cash votes ($1 per vote) for the United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties.
“The real winners here are all the agencies supported through our local United Way,” United Way of Toombs, Montgomery, and Wheeler Counties Executive Director Patricia Dixon emphasized.
This annual event coordinated by the Power of the Purse is a celebration for all members of the organization, offering them a fun night out to raise money for a good cause. This year, Power of the Purse raised $90,000 for the local United Way, bringing the total amount of money brought in to the organization to $100,000.
Each year, several members of the community volunteer to compete in a friendly competition for bragging rights, as they dance for the title of Dancing for the Stars champions. Couples each take turns performing and receive scores for their numbers. These scores count as 40% of each couple’s final score, while monetary votes make up the remaining 60% of the final score.
Ultimately, it was Memorial Health Meadows Hospital Registered Nurses Lawson Paradice and Riley Corner that took home the ultimate prize, as the couple wooed the crowd with their Ken and Barbie inspired choreography.
Four other couples also took the stage to raise money for the charity. Brewton-Parker College Women’s Flag Football Head Coach Sheldon Miller and South Central Realty Owner Deidre Barnett heated up the dance floor with their fire-themed routine; Southern Nuclear Company Maintenance Electrician Todd Robinson and Aflac Insurance Agent Angie Robertson took attendees on a magic carpet ride through an Aladdin-inspired mash-up; Plant Hatch Environmental Chemist John Schwind and The Refuge Domestic Violence Shelter Executive Assistant LeAnn Warren took the audience back in time, as they performed to the classic Michael Jackson hit, “PYT (Pretty Young Thing)”; Kiwanis Club of Vidalia President Kareem Owens and Vidalia High School Health and Physical Education Department Chair Missy Owens combined romance and hip hop with their performance.
The event received a large amount of community support, as the public filled the space with cheers, laughter, dancing, and donations. Presenting sponsors for the event included Dot Foods, Peoples Bank, Memorial Health Meadows Hospital, Paul Thigpen Automotive Group, Southern Nuclear: Hatch Nuclear Plant, Trane Technologies, and South Central Realty. Tango Level sponsors were Dermatology Associates: Dr. Lewis Collins, Jr. and Shai Hobbs, NP-C, Chicken of the Sea, and Community Hospice. Foxtrot Level sponsors included Vidalia Federal Savings Bank and Ameris Bank. Waltz Level sponsors were .John and Ursula Spence, and the Rumba Level sponsors were EZE Photography and The Dahlia.
Power of the Purse Committee Chair Lucy Whigham and Dancing For The Stars Chair Kelly Stuckless were both honored during the event and thanked for their service each year to making the event a success and helping to bring in funds for the organization. Longtime judges Craig Stuckless, Diane Smith, and Chris Keene returned to adjudicate the routines, and Accountant Mike Calhoun helped to tally the final scores. Former Vidalia City Manager Bill Torrance and Bryant O’Connor Law Firm Paralegal Angela Lane emceed the event, and the Memorial Health Meadows Hospital Code Bluez shared a surprise encore performance of their routine from last year’s Lip Sync Battle.
“Thank you to everyone for coming out, and to our sponsors and Power of the Purse members for making this possible. We appreciate all of you and cannot wait until next year,” Dixon remarked.
For more information on the local United Way, or about joining Power of the Purse, contact Dixon at (912) 537-2776.
