Audio clip
Paul and Sandy Greene
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Staff Photo by Danielle Moore Nola Beth Greene, 5, sits with her father, Army National Guard Spc. Paul Greene, at their home in Cleveland, Tenn., after his return from Iraq. Nola Beth told her mother, Sandy Greene, the only thing she wanted for Christmas was to dance with her father, who was overseas at the time.
All 5-year-old Nola Beth Greene wants for Christmas is to dance with her father, who is serving in Iraq and recently came home to visit for the holidays.
"I always dance with her," said her father, Spc. Paul Greene with the Tennessee Army National Guard. "We crank up the music to Alvin and the Chipmunks."
Nola has taken ballet, jazz and tap lessons since she was 2, and now she dances with her school's praise team at Silverdale Baptist Academy, said her mother, Sandy Greene, who teaches first grade at the school.
But one of Nola's favorite pastimes is dancing with her father in the living room or in the car, Mrs. Greene said.
Before Spc. Greene left for Iraq, he promised he would take his daughter dancing when he came home the two weeks before Christmas. However, he was unable to find any place appropriate in town to go.
As a surprise for her daughter and husband, Mrs. Greene found tickets to the USA Dance 10th annual Holiday Charity Ball and gave them to her husband when he arrived home on Nov. 28.
"This is something that is very rare for us," said Nancy Henderson, vice president of the Chattanooga Choo Choo Chapter of USA Dance, talking about having a child want to attend the ball.
The charity ball is the 10th dance put on by the Chattanooga Choo Choo Chapter that will benefit the Austin Hatcher Foundation, which this year supports children with pediatric cancer and their families, Ms. Henderson said.
"We felt like the Hatcher Foundation was doing some great work, and we wanted to help them out," she said.
It seems perfect that the first time the charity ball supports a children's organization is also the first time a child is attending the dance, she said.
The ball is open to the public, and about 150 mostly social dancers usually attend, she said.
The dance will last from 8 to 11 p.m., and some of the ballroom instructors in the area will perform for the rest of the dancers during the evening, Ms. Henderson said.
Neither Nola nor he ever have ballroom danced, but that isn't going to stop them from trying to learn this week, Spc. Greene said.
"We've been practicing for two nights now," he said.
As Spc. Greene talked about twirling his daughter around, she giggled. Nola Beth was too shy to talk, but smiled and nodded when asked if her father was a good dancer.
IF YOU GO
* What: USA Dance Annual Holiday Charity Ball
* Where: Allemande Hall, 7400 Standifer Gap Road
* When: From 7 to 11 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11
* Cost: General admission tickets: $30, limited table seating $35
* Attire: Formal/cocktail
* Contact: 423-499-5738
Joy Lukachick covers crime in North Georgia for the Chattanooga Times Free Press. She started working at the paper in July 2009 as an intern. Raised near the Bayou, Joy’s hometown is along the outskirts of Baton Rouge, La. She has a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Louisiana State University. While at LSU, Joy was a staff writer for the Daily Reveille. When Joy isn't chasing down stories, she is a full-time supporter of ...
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