Chattanooga’s annual Dancing with the Stars event won’t take place until June 25, but local competitors are already hosting fundraisers in preparation for the event.
The annual dancing fundraiser, which benefits the Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, will feature 11 dancers from across Chattanooga, including East Brainerd’s Cindy Wilson, nurse practitioner and operations director at the Center for Facial Rejuvenation.
Wilson, the creator the My Fair Lady Project, which helps victims of domestic violence, said she was honored to be asked to dance for the cause.
She recently held a fundraiser at Bonefish Grill. The money will go toward the total amount she is raising for the Family Violence Center, a branch of the Partnership which helps victims and their families. Each contestant picks the Partnership program they want to benefit.
Last year alone, the Family Violence Center provided shelter to 1,065 domestic violence victims, said Bergen Baucom Aldahir, communications and community outreach coordinator for the Partnership.
“This is vital work, this is something that affects one in four women. It’s a real blessing that [Wilson] is stepping up and dancing for this cause,” Aldahir said.
As the only rape crisis center and domestic violence shelter in the county, Aldahir stressed the importance of the resources the Partnership’s Family Violence Center provides, such as its 24-hour hotline.
“Crisis doesn’t happen Monday through Friday, 9-5,” she said. “It’s important that we have these resources and counselors available all the time.”
For more information on the Partnership, visit www.partnershipfca.com.
Anyone in need can call the Family Violence Center’s hotline at 755-2822.
Email Gabrielle Chevalier at gchevalier@timesfreepress.com.