Team 3 – Rashad Gadson and Ty Reichel – hold nothing back during their performance in the seventh annual Dancing With Our Stars on Saturday, March 16, at the USCB Center for the Arts. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

The best nights ever

CAPA’s Dancing With Our Stars raises record amount of money

By Delayna Earley

The Island News

The 7th annual Dancing With Our Stars event was the most successful one yet, according to Jessie Chapman, Director of Development at the Child Abuse Prevention Association (CAPA) of Beaufort.

This year, their participants raised half a million dollars that will go to benefit CAPA and help to build and new facility that was announced last year.

Participants, who are selected for their contributions to the community and to CAPA, held fundraisers for several months to raise money in honor of the event for CAPA.

Judges for the seventh annual Dancing With Our Stars, from left, Grayson Williams, Cherimie Crane Weatherford and Mike McFee go over one of the team’s high points Saturday, March 16, at USCB’s Center for the Arts. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

The money raised from ticket sales will also be added into the count, said Chapman.

This year, both nights were sold out.

The event was held over two nights, Friday March 15, and Saturday, March 16, and will be available to view online at the Beaufort County Channel (BCTV).

The winners for 2024 are: 

People’s Choice: Jeff Vinney and Erin Hancock.

Kid’s Choice: Jamie Achor and Skyeem Gardner.

Judge’s Choice: Tim Gurley and Candace Dore.

Alumni’s Choice: Douglas Cifranick and Lea McFadden.

Best Costume: Ty Reichel and Rashad Gadson.

Best Choreography: Rita Wilson and Erin Demers.

Team 5’s Tim Newman, left, doesn’t let having just one leg stop him as he “gets down” with dance partner Megan Howe during the seventh annual Dancing With Our Stars on Saturday, March 16, at the USCB Center for the Arts. Newman, a former Marine and Beaufort County Sheriff’s Deputy, lost his leg in 2005 during combat operations in Iraq. Bob Sofaly/The Island News

“It’s a friend-raiser and a fundraiser,” Chapman said about the event. “The goal is to make friends of CAPA and raise funds.”

Chapman said that every year the hope is to make the event bigger and better so that they can raise more money to benefit CAPA Beaufort, but this year will be hard to top.

Delayna Earley, who joined The Island News in 2022, formerly worked as a photojournalist for The Island Packet/The Beaufort Gazette, as well as newspapers in Indiana and Virginia. She can be reached at delayna.theislandnews@gmail.com

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