Charity

Dancing with the Stars Competition to Raise Money for Local Families Living with Alzheimer’s or Related Dementia

Published

5 years ago

January 24, 2020

The ARK, Alzheimer’s Family Support Services will host its tenth annual Dancing with The ARK’s Stars fundraising event on March 14th, 2020. A nurse practitioner, a dentist, as well as a county and town official, are among the local personalities trading their day jobs for dancing shoes to raise money for Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. The fundraiser, which pairs local celebrities with professional dancers, will take place in the Eidson Gym at Pinewood Preparatory School in Summerville at 7 pm.

“These local personalities and professional dancers work hard and practice for several weeks leading up to their live performance,” Peg Lahmeyer, executive director of The ARK, said. “They work extremely hard to raise funds to support The ARK’s mission. Now more than ever, it is imperative that we work to raise awareness and funds for families living with Alzheimer’s or related dementia. More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, and as many as 16 million will have the disease by the year 2050.”

Tickets are $65 in advance and $75 at the door. The evening includes heavy hors d’oeuvres, open bar, and a silent auction. Cocktail attire is requested. Purchase tickets online at TheARKofSC.org or call 843-471-1360 for information.

Proceeds from this fundraiser support the many programs of The ARK as it provides essential services for families dealing with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. The ARK offers respite care, support groups, caregiver consultation, caregiver education workshops, resource referrals, law enforcement and first responders training, community learning programs, and rural services development.

Each dancer is paired with a professional dance partner from sponsor, Ballroom Dance Charleston. The dancing duos will perform at the event for a chance to win one of two titles: the Judge’s Award or the People’s Choice Award voted on by the audience.

The 2020 celebrity dancers are:

Ginger Arntz, nurse practitioner, Elite Patient Care
Cecil Buddin, retired
Marshall Connor, assistant vice president for continuing education, Trident Technical College
Russell Cornette, director of public works, Town of Summerville
Kristi Dillard, dentist, Kari Ryan Dentistry
Hannah Moldenhauer, county public information officer, Berkeley County
John Scott, Pastoral Assistant, St. Paul’s Summerville
Jillian Weatherford, project manager, Creekside Consulting

Similar to the hit TV show Dancing with the Stars, four couples will dance in each round, with the two couples receiving the most judges’ votes competing in a “dance off” to win the Judge’s Award. The couple receiving the most votes by dollars wins the mirror ball trophy for People’s Choice Award. Votes are $10 each and can be cast in advance at TheARKofSC.org or at the event. The 2019 Dancing with The ARK’s Stars event raised $104,000.