Dancing With Our Stars tickets now available; to benefit NTMC cardiac fund

Dec. 30—The North Texas Medical Center Foundation is bringing back the Dancing With Our Stars competition next year.

Local "celebrities" will strut their stuff on the dance floor in February to raise money for the North Texas Medical Center Foundation's Heart of NTMC Campaign and the purchase of a Cardiac CT machine for the hospital.

Dancing With Our Stars is scheduled for Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. at Centennial Hall in Lindsay.

The event, which is based on the long-running television show, will feature a competition including sets of dancers vying for the mirror-ball trophy, which is given to the best dancers as chosen by a panel of judges including professional dancers from the Metroplex. Other awards include the People's Choice Award, which goes to the contestants who get the most public votes leading up to the event, and the Crowd Favorite Award which goes to the dancers who get the most votes from attendees at the event.

"The key is that dollars equal votes. The more you donate to your favorite dancer, the more votes they get," said Darin Allred, Executive Director of the NTMC Foundation. "Last year we raised close to $175,000 with this event, and we would love to surpass that this year."

Donors can support their favorite dancers at www.ntmcfoundation.org, where they can also buy tickets to attend the event, raffle tickets and bid on silent auction items once the auction opens. Tickets for the event are $100 each. That includes a catered meal, drinks, and of course the featured entertainment. Those that attend will be able to vote on their phones for their favorite dancer, as well as bid on silent auction items.

Dancing With Our Stars is the major fundraiser for the Heart of NTMC Campaign to bring a Cardiac-capable CT machine to the hospital.

"Currently, there is not a Cardiac CT machine available in Cooke County, so local residents are forced to travel out of town for these important scans," Allred said. "Not only would having this machine at NTMC be convenient for local residents, it might be life-saving. In addition to doing scans of the heart, it can also be used for regular CT scans when needed, which would double our capacity. That is huge when, for instance, a stroke victim comes into our Emergency Department. That lessens the chance that our one CT machine will be in use when needed for an emergency."

The competition will once again feature local dancers, who were allowed to pick their partner, their song, and choregraph their dance.

"Their performance is completely up to them," Allred said. "Last year we saw a little bit of everything, from country two-stepping to jazz and disco. It was entertaining last year, and I know it will be just as fun this year."

The featured dancers will be:

—Dick and Patty Haayen, representing Padic, Inc.

—Kelly Corbett and Kristi Rigsby, representing First State Bank and North Texas Medical Center.

—Gayle Bevers, Lisa Vestal, Liz Walterscheid and Ashley Williams, representing Gainesville Jazzercise.

—Rudolph Martinez, representing Safran Seats US.

—Rachael Polk, Mariah Wilson and Angel Wilson, representing The Real Estate Shoppe.

—Patrick and Carla McCage, representing the City of Gainesville.

—Marla Davis, Lisa Fults, Kathleen Ives and Karen Pannell, representing the Lake Kiowa Linedancers.

—Jim Smith and Avery Phillips, representing the Gainesville Kiwanis Club.

Seating is limited, and last year's event sold out more than a month before the actual night. Sponsorships are also available which come with a table of 10. For more information on Dancing With Our Stars benefitting the NTMC Foundation, contact Darin Allred at 940-612-8460 or by email at darin.allred@ntmconline.net.