BECKLEY, W.Va. – A record $311,000 was raised during this year’s “Dancing With the Stars” fundraiser, culminating Friday night with the competition itself at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
The annual event raises money for The United Way of Southern West Virginia and features six teams of dancers from throughout the region served by the United Way.
Each team raises funds and the winners in that category were Karen Bowling, President and CEO of WVU Medicine Princeton Community Hospital, and WVVA’s anchor Martin Staunton. They raised a record $117,000. Team Jamie Weeks and Cole Williams came in second, raising $89,000.
In the dancing competition itself, two teams tied for first place as determined by the judges: Team Julia Crittenden and Brandon Lilly and Team Jenna Sexton and Owen Schmitt. Judges Amanda and Matt Barber of Shall We Dance Studios and Gabrielle Massie of STARZ Performing Arts Academy gave scores of perfect 10s in all six scoring categories for both teams.
Other teams included Julia Crittenden and Brandon Lilly, Mary Scott and Dr. Olu Sangodeyi, and Erica Shrewsbury and Bernard Bostick.
“Our eleventh season of Dancing with the Stars was our biggest one yet,” said Trena Dacal, Executive Director of the United Way. “I’m grateful to the dancers and choreographers who worked so hard, the volunteers who made it a perfect and beautiful night for everyone, our sponsors who offset many of the expenses and our amazing community who contributed to the teams and bought tickets to the event,” says Trena Dacal, Executive Director of United Way.
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