The 2021 Dancing with the Shuswap Stars notched the best fundraising total for Shuswap Hospice since the event began in 2016.
After expenses, the event raised more than $57,000 to support the programs of Shuswap Hospice, which provide care and supports to the dying and bereaved across the Shuswap region.
“We are absolutely thrilled to see how the community stepped up this year to donate more than ever before,” said Carl Flatman, chair of the Dancing with the Shuswap Stars organizing committee. “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supported this event − from the dancers, to the sponsors, to the volunteers, right down to everyone who bought a star vote for their favourite contestant, purchased a live ticket or paid to watch the show from home.”
Dancing with the Shuswap Stars had to be cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This hit Shuswap Hospice’s budget very hard, as the popular dancing event is the charity’s single biggest fundraiser. The organizing committee was determined not to see the event cancelled for another year.
Hosting the event during this time of COVID-19 came with a whole new set of challenges. It was one of the first to be held at Song Sparrow Hall, which is well equipped to handle the requirements for live streaming the show. The event became a hybrid, with a smaller studio audience in the hall, and access to the show via video live streaming.
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“We had to do a lot of things differently and adapt our event to the realities of the pandemic. It was not easy,” said Flatman. “This makes it very satisfying to see how well this event was received and supported.”
Planning for the 2022 Dancing with the Shuswap Stars event will begin again in the new year. An essential feature of the event is the dancers. These are community-minded people who have little-to-no dance training and volunteer their time to perform a dance routine in the show. They also need to be fundraising ambassadors, because the ultimate goal is to raise the most money possible for Shuswap Hospice.
“Without the dancers, we have nothing,” said Tracy Hughes, who leads the dancer recruitment efforts. “We deeply appreciate all the dancers who have put themselves out there to entertain the crowd and bring in funds to support Hospice. We are already looking ahead to find new dancers who would be willing to do the same.”
If you are interested in joining next year’s slate of dancers, please email thughes7@telus.net to put your name on the list of potential candidates.
Submitted
newsroom@saobserver.net
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