Dancing With the Tyler Stars Participants Named
By COSHANDRA DILLARDStaff Writer
SHINING: The couples competing in the 2010 Dancing with the Tyler Stars competition pose Monday for a photograph during a fundraiser at Villa Montez. Event Will Benefit Tyler AIDS Services
A popular ballroom dancing gala benefiting Tyler AIDS Services returns this year and organizers are anticipating a sold out event. During a kick-off party Monday night for the 2010 Dancing with the Tyler Stars, organizers announced this year’s partner pairings. They are: Elizabeth Clyde, homemaker and community volunteer, with Alan Goss, a retired electrician and community volunteer; Dr. Laura O’Halloran, plastic surgeon, with Stepp Sydnor, speaker and author; Yvette Brunette, State Farm Insurance agent/owner, with John McCorkel, dance instructor; Anissa Centers, KLTV news anchor, with Chip Clark, director of operations at The University of Texas at Tyler; Dr. David DiPaolo, UT Tyler Health System radiologist, with Jennifer Bailey, interim director of Fine and Performing Arts at Tyler Junior College; Dr. Chris Freeman, dentist/owner of Rice Road Dental, with Terri Landeros, massage therapist; Mundo Villapudua, co-owner of Villa Montez, with Glenda Lindekugel, personal trainer; and Coleman Swierc, KLTV sports anchor, with Courtney Lane, KLTV news anchor.
For the fifth year, community members will waltz, foxtrot, salsa, or jitterbug alongside expert dance instructors beginning at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Villa de Felicita. Dancers now are preparing to commit to countless hours of instruction to secure trophies, along with the bragging rights that go with the honors. In addition to the dancing competition, there will be dinner and dancing for all. About 400 people attend the event each year. "We anticipate a sold out event, so we are encouraging people to reserve their sponsorships and tickets early," said Jeanette Deas Calhoun, executive director of TAS.
TAS serves a 32 county area, providing numerous resources for people and families who live with HIV/AIDS. Proceeds from the dance competition will help provide emergency services including rental and utility assistance for persons living with HIV. It also will fund prevention education. "The board and the staff are committed to ensuring that people who are not infected with HIV do not become infected," Mrs. Calhoun said. "… These funds will help us to develop modules. We’ll be working with at-risk populations, schools and senior citizen communities." Another focus, Calhoun said, was to disseminate information to expecting mothers.
General admission tickets cost $125 per person and sponsorship starts at $10,000. For the first time, there will be an opportunity to make a contribution in memory of a person who succumbed to HIV/AIDS for a minimum of $50. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact Tyler AIDS Services at 903-592-0757.
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