It’s countdown time for the Boca Ballroom Battle—with just about six weeks left before the BIG August 14 event. We know this year’s intrepid dancers have been out hosting fundraisers all over town, and we know sponsorships are being gobbled up—but there is still plenty of time to donate. And after the past couple of years—especially after the havoc wreaked by the pandemic—the needs are great for these families and their deserving kids.
As George Snow Scholarship CEO Tim Snow told us earlier this year, “Palm Beach County is an interesting place—you can go anywhere from the affluence of Boca Raton and Palm Beach to the despair of Belle Glade and Pahokee—even some cities on the coast. There are a lot of people who are struggling. The amazing thing is they are raising these young people—I call them rock stars—who excel in spite of the economic challenges they are having and, in many cases, other major challenges.”
The kids are rock stars and this year’s dancers are, too—in a way. This year’s theme is disco dancing and it will be once again a televised version through WPTV Channel 5, on Saturday, August 14 at 7 p.m. Sponsorships are still available and donations are underway as the community steps up to donate to their favorite dancers. As was true last year (and it was waaay fun), you can be a “watch party host,” which is like a buying a table—only you get to hang in your living room with all your friends and some special goodies provided by the George Snow people.
“Our dancers are having such a great time and they even have a fun little text chain going on to motivate and tease each other, they are like brothers and sisters at this point,” says Debi Feiler, Vice President of Program Services for the George Snow Scholarship Fund. “They are so excited and nervous about the filming but are ready to show all of us a great night of dancing. They are really getting competitive with the fundraising, which is how they win the Mirror Ball Trophy.”
And Tim Snow says they are on it this summer when it comes to bringing those dollars in.
“I am excited to share that this year’s community dancers are right on track to make this year another great one for Ballroom Battle and the Scholarship Fund. Our dancers have been hosting great fund-raising events and their supporters are all trying to make sure their dancer is going to take home the Mirror Ball trophy for raising the most money for the Scholarship Fund and the young people we serve. We are so grateful to our dancers for all their efforts to learn their routine and to raise money for our mission. We cannot do what we do without their help.”
This year’s dancers, again, are:
- Elmar Benavente, CEO, Be Design Associates, Inc.
- Kelly Fleming, mother, and community volunteer
- Dre Garcia, CEO, EMPOWER Consulting Partners
- Melyssa Hancock, facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon
- Ryan Reiter, director of Government Relations, Kaufman Lynn Construction
- Mindy Shikiar, former executive, Boca Raton Regional Hospital
- Robert Snyder, executive director, Strategy Communications for NCCI
- Dr. Jeffrey Stein, internal medicine
For more information, please visit scholarship.org
