Dance Like The Stars raises over $259,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi

The Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi’s Dance Like the Stars event raised over $259,000 for the youth development organization and New Albany representative Kimberly Langley tied for the Facebook Peoples Choice Award.  The other winner was Keri McMillin of Tupelo.

The annual event broadcast on August 22 from the BancorpSouth Arena in Tupelo and has been enjoyed virtually by more than 4,000 viewers.  Seven local celebrities competed for the titles of Grand Champion and Judges’ Choice.  Each celebrity was paired with a dance professional at The Dance Studio of Tupelo to learn and perform a ballroom dance routine.

Lisa Settlemires of Ripley, took home the title of Grand Champion by raising $54,608.  Lisa Chaney, representing Tupelo came in second with $54,265 and Oxford’s Pastor Eddie Rester raised $46,638 to take third place.  Funds have continued to come in since the close of the event.

Celebrity judges awarded the first place Judges’ Choice award to Keri McMillin of Tupelo.  Second place in the Judges’ Choice category went to Jacuana Sykes of Tupelo, and Rester of Oxford came in third.

2020 Celebrity Dancers included:   Pastor Eddie Rester (Oxford), Kimberly Langley (New Albany), Lisa Settlemires (Ripley), Keri McMillin, Lindsey Chaney, Dr. Gabe Rulewicz, Jacuana Sykes (Tupelo).

The Dance Studio of Tupelo is owned by Rubye Del Harden.  Professional instructors include:  Tammy Wilson, Benjamin Pryor, Andrew Davis and Gemi Moore.

A stand-out performance of the evening was provided by the Boys & Girls Club Ballroom Dance Team.  The group is made up of youth who have studied ballroom dance at The Dance Studio and showcase the skills which they have learned on that evening. This program is made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Arts Commission and the National Endowment For The Arts.

Also, to celebrate the 15^th  year of the event, a virtual reunion opening performance was put together by dancers participating over the past fourteen years.

Celebrity hosts were Allie Martin, Katrina Berry-Hooper and Greg Pirkle.  The arena was beautifully decorated by Designs by Tracy Proctor and local volunteers.

The show can still be viewed through a link on the Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi’s Facebook page.

It is the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of North Mississippi to inspire and enable all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.  Serving North Mississippi since 1996, the organization reaches more than 2,000 youth annually through clubhouse locations in Tupelo, Oxford, Ripley and New Albany.  For more information on Boys and Girls Clubs of North Mississippi, please call 662-841-6504, or visit www.bgcnms.org.