Dancing with Show Me Stars raises almost $40K to benefit Community Caring Council

Thirteen local stars and four performers from ABC�s �Dancing with the Stars� displayed their dance moves, rhythm and class at the Drury Plaza Conference Center during 2018 Dancing with Show Me Stars, raising $39,423.40 to benefit the Community Caring Council.

The money raised will go directly to assisting families in need, said Melissa Stickel, executive director of Community Caring Council.

The night�s competition gave each of the 13 contestants and his or her instructor a chance to be chosen by the judges based on technicality and performance.

Cape Girardeau police chief Wes Blair leads Irene Reynolds in the Texas two-step Saturday during their Dancing with Show Me Stars performance at Drury Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

Real-estate agent Sheila King was the overall winner for the evening, raising almost $13,000 through donations and audience votes.

Choreographers and dancers Dmitry and Jenya Chaplin, Anna Trebunskaya and partner Oleksandr Kamnieb from �Dancing with the Stars� performed Saturday, as well as the local �stars� for the evening: Wes Blair, Darren Burgfeld, Derick Charles, Tamatha Crowson, Lauren Keith-Heuring, King, Gunnar Knudtston, Merideth Pobst, Greg Pursley, Mike Renick, Jared Ritter, Carlos Vargas-Aburto and Shelly Wessell-Kaiser.

Crowson, a personal trainer, won Audience Choice and Judges Choice.

Dhanurja De Silva busts a move as part of a dance featuring Jared Ritter and Sindupa De Silva (not pictured) on Saturday during Dancing With Show Me Stars at Drury Plaza Conference Center in Cape Girardeau.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

Calvin Garner, Community Caring Council housing coordinator, said he could not even begin to explain how important the event is.

�There�s a lot of awareness of the issue that we have with homelessness in our community, and it�s a very serious issue,� he said. �The numbers are always rising every single year. ... This is a huge platform, and an opportunity for our community.�

The first star to perform for the evening was local real-estate agent Jared Ritter. Before taking the stage, Ritter said he and his team of four other guys have been practicing their routine for several months leading up to the occasion.

�The whole event is just great,� Ritter said. �The most important part, obviously, is raising the money for the Community Caring Council. I�m excited because we�re helping families right here.�

Ritter said he loves taking trips and loves being part of mission trips, but the fact the event is centered on �our town,� he said, is amazing.

Jackson School District spokeswoman Pobst performed with her husband, Justin, and said they took ballroom dance lessons a few years ago as a date night, but other than that, she has never danced before.

�It was a �bucket list� thing. I thought it would be fun,� she said. �We�re more of �the electric slide at a wedding reception kind of people,� so this has been a little bit out of our comfort zone,� Merideth Pobst said.

Near the close of the event, Stickel said last year the Community Caring Council lost a couple housing grants, so the money raised will go toward recouping that amount.

�That was really a sad day, because we have such a high need for housing assistance. The money raised will allow us be able to say �yes� more than we have to say �no.��

Stickel said the organization sees roughly 2,000 people in a three-month period coming through the door needing some kind of support, including housing assistance, utility assistance, or �some crisis in their life that brings them to our office.�

She said Community Caring Council helps everybody because one of the things the council doesn�t do is �just say �no, we�re not able to help you.��

�If we don�t have the funds to help them, then we try to find who does in the community,� Stickel said. �We really try not to turn people away.�

The event was sold out with 400 attendees, according to Stickel.

Complete donation totals from the evening are available at www.dancingwithshowmestars.com/stars.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632