By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
The 3rd annual Dancing with the Stars for the Bay Area Alliance is proving to be a huge success. When Amanda Mclauchlin signed on as executive director for Bay Area Alliance in 2010, the Alliance’s single fund raiser was a car show held in March, which usually included rain.
“Classic car owners don’t bring their cars out in the rain,” said Mclauchlin.
Since the car show languished year after year from multiple downpours, Mclauchlin put her creative spirit to work investigating more lucrative fundraising events. She deduced Dancing with the Stars would be a very viable option with a lot of pizzazz.
The board agreed and she went to work organizing the first event in 2018. “The first year we weren’t sure of ourselves, but now we are really kicking it up,” said board member, Michael Sanders.
The event has grown from 44 tables the first year to presently 51 tables. It will be held at South Shore Harbor Resort and Conference Center on August 28.
“We have people calling us now to get tickets. It’s amazing how much it’s grown in such a short time,” several board members said.
With two weeks until show time, Bay Area Alliance has sold all but one of their 51 tables for this year’s event.
The dancing stars come from the Bay Area and were paired up with people whom most had never met until they were called to dance together.
“I didn’t know who my partner was till I met him,” said board member, Jennifer Broddle. She will be dancing with Dale Mills, who is known for his role as Uncle Dale on TLC’s reality show Outdaughtered.
Jay Cappock and Mary Sanders will be dancing the two-step, and they too had not met until they were partnered up.
Crystal Dozier and her partner Jacob Bigger have been working on salsa dancing together for three months. Though Crystal has been dancing since she was 3, both agree learning to dance salsa has not been easy. “Whenever we’re practicing and feel exhausted we keep going, telling ourselves, it’s for the kids,” both shared.
The kids they are dancing for are all the beneficiaries of the programs run by Bay Area Alliance. Their mission is to support and inspire students and families to create a healthier community for all. This is accomplished with various programs engaging students and community members in addressing current pressing issues.
Tracy Simon and her partner, Michael, will be dancing the Cha Cha. Two other dancing sets, Laura and Marvin dancing the Tango and Elita and Kris dancing the Waltz are also part of the cast.
The dancers were nominated by participants from 2019’s show, which raised $48,000. The dancers have been holding onto their dancing shoes since then when they were first asked to participate, as the pandemic shut down last year’s event.
With two years of anticipation, this year’s dancing stars just might raise the roof along with hopefully a whole lot of cash.
To promote the event, Mclauchlin used the Alliance’s turn to host a monthly Chamber of Commerce meet and greet. Her staff organized the afternoon mixer and the dancing couples were invited to mix, mingle and spread their vote cards out amongst the guests.
Each dancer has a business card with their own QR code allowing people to scan a vote. Each vote the dancer receives raises money and goes towards their score. Some of the dancers are getting competitive about getting the most votes. “Jacob and Jay are really out there getting votes,” said one of the board members.
Board members Debbie Sekade and Lauri Coppack, agreed, Dancing with the Stars is a great fundraiser for the Bay Area Alliance. “It really brings out the community, which is good for our overall mission,” said Coppack and Sekade.
Mclauchlin is given all the credit by the board for her initial presentation of the concept and for her more than 100 percent dedication to delivering a successful, fun community based fundraiser.
