“Don’t give up. Don’t Ever Give Up” - Jimmy Valvano
What an extraordinary night for Darien! On Friday evening, February 6th, our community came together at Ashton Place for a spectacular celebration of talent, generosity, and heart with our Dancing with the Darien Starz event. Ten Darien residents, each representing a different social, civic, service, or religious organization, stepped outside of their comfort zones, volunteered countless hours, and took to the dance floor alongside professional partners. Their dedication, courage and enthusiasm were all in support of an inspiring cause; raising funds for our local Cancer Smashers, a remarkable group of young people committed to advancing cancer research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University.
More than 280 guests filled the banquet hall, enjoying a full-course dinner, a four-hour open bar, and the opportunity to give back through a gift raffle, a split the pot raffle and a chance to support their favorite dancer with a monetary contribution that addressed our cancer research mission. I was honored to emcee the event and I opened the evening by sharing the purpose behind the event, and the excitement grew from there. Guests were first treated to a lively performance by “alums” from past Dancing with the Darien Starz events, setting the tone for a night filled with entertainment and community spirit.
The dancing was truly the highlight of the evening, as we followed the familiar Dancing with the Stars TV format, as each contestant performed a choreographed routine with a professional partner, while our three-member panel of judges scored their performances. Their dancing saw the crowd cheering, applauding and celebrating each dancer’s effort and achievement.
At the end of our competition, Ms. Sandra Sobotka, representing the Darien Rotary Club captured first place honors for her outstanding performance. Ms. Sobotka tied Mr. Ben Guzman of the Darien Swim and Recreation Club in dance performance, but was awarded first place based on her fundraising efforts. A second trophy was proudly awarded to Ms. Nicole Carpenter, a staff member at Hinsdale South High School, whose supporters raised the highest amount of donations during the event. All three recognitions reflected not only talent, they demonstrated an incredible commitment to our main cause.
Thanks to the generosity of our dancers, guests and sponsors, this event resulted in a donation of nearly $11,000 for Cancer Smashers, an amazing accomplishment that speaks volumes about the compassion and unity of our community.
I want to give thanks to our corporate sponsors, James Burke of Edward Jones, and Chris Sweeney of Pace Systems, as well as to our local businesses who donated prizes for our gift raffle. Special thanks go to our Darien Business Alliance, whose leadership and development of the event was crucial to the success of the evening. In particular, I extend heartfelt thanks to April Padalik, Executive Director of the DBA and Jessica Plzak, whose tireless efforts and countless contributions made this event possible.
Darien Dancing with the Starz was more than an evening of entertainment; it was a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when Darien comes together for a worthy cause. We look forward to bringing this event back in the future and continuing to support charitable initiatives that strengthen and uplift our community.