For the third-straight year, local “celebrities” will be strutting their stuff on the dance floor in February to raise money for the North Texas Medical Center (NTMC) Foundation’s Heart of NTMC Campaign and the purchase of a Cardiac CT machine for the hospital.
The third-annual NTMC Dancing With Our Stars, presented by the Employees of Safran Seats USA, is scheduled for Feb. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Gainesville Civic Center.
The event, which is based on the long-running television show, will feature a competition including sets of dancers vying for the prestigious mirror-ball trophy, which is given to the best dancers as chosen by a panel of judges including professional dancers from the Metroplex.
Other awards include the People’s Choice Award, which goes to the contestants who get the most public votes leading up to the event, and the Crowd Favorite Award which goes to the dancers who get the most votes from attendees at the event.
“Dollars donated equal votes. The more you donate to your favorite dancer, the more votes they get,” said Darin Allred, Executive Director of the NTMC Foundation. “Over the last two years, we have raised more than $375,000 with this event, and we hope to continue that momentum this year.”
You can donate toward your favorite dancer at www.ntmcfoundation.org. That is also where you can see the featured dancers, buy tickets to attend the event, and buy raffle tickets and bid on silent auction items once the auction opens.
Tickets for the event are $100 each. That includes a catered meal, drinks and (of course) the featured entertainment. Those that attend will be able to vote on their phones for their favorite dancer, as well as bid on silent auction items.
Dancing With Our Stars is the major fundraiser for the Heart of NTMC Campaign to bring a Cardiac-capable CT machine to the hospital.
“This latest imaging technology costs $1.25 million,” said Allred. “The Foundation has financed the purchase, so now we are raising money to pay for that. Once this machine is installed, local residents won’t have to drive 30-plus miles or more for these important scans.
“In addition to doing scans of the heart, it can also be used for regular CT scans when needed, which would double our capacity. That is huge when, for instance, a stroke victim comes into our Emergency Department. That lessens the chance that our one CT machine will be in use when needed for an emergency.”
The competition will once again feature local dancers, who were allowed to pick their partner, their song and choregraph their dance.
“Their performance is completely up to them,” Allred said. “In the last two years, we have seen a little bit of everything from our competitors. They are very creative. I know this year will be a lot of fun.”
Featured dancers who will be competing on Feb. 28 include:
• Scotty and Christy Thurman, representing Valstar Electric
• Mindy and Charlie Martin, representing 4U Credit Union
• Crystal Filbeck, Nikki Filbeck and Cliff Yow, representing Safran Seats USA
• Dr. DesMontes Stewart and Corey Hardin, representing the Gainesville Independent School District
• Tom Sledge, James Hennigan, James Fritts and Mike Ducote, representing North Texas Medical Center
• Austin and Mackenzie Reiter, representing First State Bank and North Central Texas College
• Lisa Bohannon, Norma Crew, Donna Marfice and Lorraine Smith, representing the Lake Kiowa Tappers
Seating is limited for the event, so people are encouraged to purchase their tickets early. Both of the previous events sold out more than a month before the actual night. Sponsorships are also available which come with a table of 10.
For more information on Dancing With Our Stars benefiting the NTMC Foundation, contact Darin Allred at (940) 612-8460 or by email at [email protected].