City leader, schools chief signed up for dancing-competition fundraiser

Do you live in mortal fear of the dance floor, believing you have “two left feet”?

Would it make you feel any better to know several Maricopa-area luminaries have been training for weeks to mitigate that very fear after agreeing to dance on stage to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sun Corridor during the second annual Dancing For Our Stars fundraiser this Saturday?

“I am a klutz,” said contestant Tena Dugan. “The thought of making a fool of myself is terrifying…and I don’t live up to the other amazing people who are dancing.”

The fun begins at 5 p.m. at Harrah’s Ak-Chin Events Center, 15406 N. Maricopa Road with a red-carpet reception. Dinner and dancing competition, modeled after the TV show “Dancing with the Stars,” get under way at 7. The nine luminaries are paired with a professional dancer.

Voting for the People’s Choice Award is now open online at dancingforourstars.net.

Tickets to attend the gala are $100 and $200.

Organizers say giving to the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sun Corridor is an investment in the future. Kids who are in the clubs’ after-school programs are less likely to be involved in crime, or use controlled substances, or engage in other risky behaviors.

They are more likely to get good grades and stay in school, according to club officials.

Boys & Girls Club computer education, Power Hour Homework Help, gym games and Youth of the Year competition along with program staff help kids and teens do better in school, stay physically fit, make healthy decisions, build skills and prepare themselves for productive adulthood, according to the organization.

Boys & Girls Clubs are more than just a fun place to go, though. The club motto is: To inspire and enable all young people, to realize their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens.

Highlighting this year’s lineup of dancers are Maricopa City Councilman Henry Wade and Maricopa Unified School District Superintendent Tracey Lopeman.

Wade, in his third term, also is a board member of the Boys and Girls Club of the Sun Corridor. He is a real estate agent with 30 years’ experience. Wade is co-founder and past-president of Arizona Association of Real Estate Brokers and former board member of the national association. He is paired with Velaine Jolle of Desert Sun Performing Arts in Maricopa.

 

Lopeman oversees about 9,000 students and 1,000 staffers. She is secretary of Maricopa Economic Development Alliance, president of Maricopa Rotary Club and a director of Maricopa Community Foundation’s board. She once taught dance in the Henderson (Nev.) Parks and Recreation Department. Her professional dancer is Maricopa High graduate Erin Hildick of Desert Sun Performing Arts.

Other teams:

• Trey Davis, director of population health strategies and analytics with Sun Life Health, paired with Karen Calipus of The Studio in Casa Grande.
• Dugan, a former deputy sheriff and co-owner of NAPA Auto Parts in Stanfield. She also is a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Arizona. Her professional dancing partner is Amanda Colon of Desert Sun Performing Arts in Maricopa.
• Casa Grande Councilwoman Lisa Fitzgibbons, who also owns Fitzgibbons Law, dancing with Myka Borunda, a Maricopa High grad now with The Studio in Casa Grande.
• Kelly Herrington, real estate agent at Coldwell Banker ROX Realty, who played on the women’s ice hockey team at the University of Arizona. Daniel Kent, owner of The Studio, is dancing with her.
• Adam Leckie, superintendent of the Casa Grande Elementary School District. His dancing partner is Mindy Sue Melillo of The Dance Spot.
• Ray Nieves, a Maricopa High graduate and founder/owner of Maricopa-based 911 Air Repair, an air conditioning and heating company. Professional dancer Kayla Patterson of Desert Sun Performing Arts in Maricopa is paired with him.
• Louie Sanchez, a Walmart supply-chain distribution center general manager and Casa Grande community advocate. Performing with him is Krisenna Hancock, a professional dancer at The Studio.

Sponsorships for the evening are available at dancingforourstars.net.

More information: 520-876-5437 or dancingforourstars.net.