More than $180,000 was raised for the North Texas Medical Center (NTMC) Foundation at the 3rd Annual Dancing With Our Stars event held on Feb. 28.
The money raised will go to the “Heart of NTMC” Campaign for the purchase of a cardiaccapable CT machine for the hospital.
The 2025 Dancing With Our Stars was held at the Gainesville Civic Center and featured seven teams dancing for the chance to win several trophies. The prestigious Mirror Ball Trophy went to the Gainesville Independent School District (GISD) team that included GISD Superintendent Dr. Des Stewart and Board President Corey Hardin, who were chosen by the judges as the best dancers.
There were two People’s Choice trophies awarded. The first People’s Choice trophy went to the Safran Seats USA team of Crystal Filbeck, Nikki Filbeck and Cliff Yow for earning the most votes through donations before the event. The trio brought in $10,319 in votes prior to the competition. The other People’s Choice trophy went to the GISD team for receiving the most votes on the night of the event, raising $3,064 in votes on Friday night.
In addition to the money raised through voting, ticket sales and sponsorships, a live and silent auction were held that included a Taylor Swift autographed guitar, Dinner for 10 at the ranch of Joe and Patti Wallace and trips to Italy, Mexico, New York City and Nashville. In addition, Gainesville resident Mack Barnhart announced a night-of donation of $50,000.
At the event, a plaque was unveiled to honor Barnhart, the largest benefactor to the Heart of NTMC Campaign. The room, which will house the new machine, will be called “The H. Mack and Barbara Barnhart Family Cardiac CT Room” once construction is completed.
“I’m in awe of the generosity of our community,” NTMC CEO Tom Sledge said. “They have fully embraced this campaign to bring a much-needed service to our hospital that will prevent patients from having to spend a considerable amount of time driving to a facility that offers this technology.”
In addition to the teams from Gainesville ISD and Safran Seats USA, other dancers included Austin and Mackenzie Reiter, representing First State Bank and North Central Texas College; Lisa Bohannon, Marla Davis, Donna Marfice and Lorraine Smith, representing the Lake Kiowa Tappers; Mindy and Charlie Martin, representing 4U Credit Union; Tom Sledge, James Hennigan, Mike Ducote and James Fritts, representing NTMC; and Scotty and Christy Thurman, representing Valstar Electric.
The employees of Safran Seats USA were the presenting sponsor of the event. The Platinum sponsor was the NTMC Auxiliary. Gold sponsors included 4U Credit Union, Coaxial Radiology, First State Bank, Gainesville Economic Development Corporation, North Central Texas College, Pecan Tree Rehabilitation and Health, Renaissance Care Center, Trident Process Systems and the family of Dr. Norman T. Tompkins and his wife Carolyn. Silver sponsors included Glenn Polk Auto Group, Jim Goldsworthy State Farm Insurance, Nortex Communications, Valstar Electric, Cooper’s Copies, Premiere Real Estate Lake Kiowa and Dieter Brothers Restaurant.
“This event would not have been possible without these amazing sponsors,” NTMC Foundation Executive Director Darin Allred said. “We appreciate each of them supporting the NTMC Foundation. They all do so much for our community and we cannot thank them enough.”
Dancing With Our Stars, along with the Halloween Hustle 5K and 10K races held every October, are the two major fundraisers for the NTMC Foundation. Another coming on March 28 is a concert at the State Theater in Gainesville with “Lover,” a Taylor Swift cover band.
“These events are great ways to raise money for the Foundation,” Allred said, “but we would welcome donations from anyone toward our campaign. A CT machine with cardiac capabilities offering the latest 3D technology costs more than $1.25 million. It is equipment that is not currently available anywhere in Cooke County. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in Cooke County from 2016 to 2020. This machine will help diagnose issues early before they become life-changing problems.”
If you would like to donate to the NTMC Foundation and the “Heart of NTMC” Campaign, visit www.ntmcfoundation.org.