On Saturday, May 10, in front of a capacity crowd of just over 400 people, the Polk County Units of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ocoee Region raised a record-breaking $112,000 with their seventh annual Dancing with the Stars fundraiser.

Each year, board members recruit community “stars” to compete in raising money for the Club. The local celebrities then call on their own network of friends to support them by casting votes: a $1 donation = 1 vote! Supporters are encouraged to “vote early and vote often.” The local stars then showcase their hard work by participating in a dance routine on stage in front of a live audience. This year’s theme was “On Broadway” and each pair of dancers chose a different Broadway musical as their theme. After each dance, a panel of local judges offer encouragement and friendly feedback, and at the end of the event, three awards are given out: Judges Choice, Crowd Favorite, and Most Money Raised.

This year’s top fundraiser was Christie Gray, who raised over $20,000 for the event. She and professional dancer, Nelson Rodriguez, themed their dance on the Broadway musical ‘Moulin Rouge’.

“I believe every child should have a safe environment to go to where they have encouragement and the guidance needed to be successful in life,” said Gray. “My husband [George Gray, a Boys & Girls Club alum and current Board Member] has this Boys & Girls Club painting on his wall that says ‘Whatsoever you do for one of the least of these …’ so every vote that was cast [for me was] a vote for a child! This has been an experience I will never forget, and I will forever appreciate those who donated money to help me exceed my $15,000 goal. The kids at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Ocoee Region are going to be so blessed by the money this event raised.”

The winner of the Crowd Favorite award (and a very close runner up for most money raised—well over $19,000) was Polk County business owner, Andy Jones. Jones and professional dancer, Bethany Kline, themed their dance on the Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’.

In his pre-dance interview Saturday night, Jones spoke about being “pulled out” of his comfort zone in order to learn and perform a dance routine in front of a live crowd. When asked why he got involved, Jones said, “Because none of us can do it alone. These kids need our help.”

Dr. Seth Ford took home the Judges Choice award for the night. Ford and professional dancer, Christin Lee, themed their dance on the Broadway musical ‘Footloose’. When asked why he got involved, Dr. Ford said, “This is about our children and helping them become adults who are caring, productive, and responsible. And … this is a way to pay it forward for our kids and our communities.”

This year’s lineup of celebrity dancers featured Andy Jones, owner of Hwy 64 Bar & Grill, Cody Day from the Polk County Sheriff’s Department, Rachel Lowe from Polk County High School, Hannah Ferrera from WTVC News Channel 9, Bailey Jones from Jones Management, Corey Miller from WDEF News 12, Stan Howard from Starr Regional Medical Center, Christie Gray from MHM Communities, and Dr. Seth Ford, CEO/President of Cleveland Eye Clinic.

Judges were Clay Smith, Local 3 News; Damien Chancey, Creative Director & Choreographer; Jonathan Cantrell, Caldwell Paving; Le-An Thomason, Polk County Highschool Career Coach; and Lisa Weaver-Vice, Performing Arts Unlimited.

Jessica Raby from WDEF News 12, Steve Hartline of Mix 104.1, and Donna Lowe from Eagle Radio 107.5 & 106.1 all served as the Masters of Ceremony for the evening.