Fundraiser participants
Katie Bennett, Harley Thomas, Maura Schaaf, Melina Slye, Paige Hall, Faith Criffield, Carly Rittenhouse, Mahaley Winkleman, Marissa Winkleman, Grace Porter, Allie Kendo, Machaela Hensley, Madison Keish, Morgan Bell, Madelyn Hensley, Jessica Hyatt, Taylor Harlow, Kira Barklay, Lauren Chew, Sallie Jurs, Emma Blackburn, Ashley Boyer, Abby Kress, Kalli Luthi, Zoe Kilavos, Rachel Heinz, Shelby Young, Sophia Falzerano, Ava Falzerano, Reagan Webb, Ashley Frantz, Kristin Burns, Angela Root, Jennifer Barnaba, Kirsten Gibson, Mollie Sadler, Molly Oswalt, Ashley Wood, Candace Thomas, Julie Boland, Shilo Thomas, Jaelyn Moore
BELLBROOK — The tragedy and despair of last month’s Haitian earthquake were met Saturday, Feb. 13, with the hope and energy of young dancers doing their small part to raise money for relief efforts.
Dozens of girls from the Bellbrook Dance Academy took part in the Leaps of Love for Haiti event, which raised $2,323 for the Red Cross, with donations still coming in.
“The idea was for the girls to get pledges of five or 10 cents per leap, then come in Saturday and just leap and leap and leap,” Dance Academy owner Lynn Webb said. “The parents were really pushing it, which helps with the kids’ awareness. And the teenagers have been so gung-ho. It’s a great way to teach the kids to give back.”
Webb said the dancers performed a total of 3,421 leaps on what she called an inspiring day. The studio was doing its part to encourage donations, offering T-shirts to those who donated more than $25, and putting hundreds of dollars of its own into the pot.
Bellbrook Dance Academy has been around for 15 years, offering classes in lyrical, jazz, hip hop, tap, ballet, modern, tumbling, cheer, ballroom and Zumba to its 450 students. The academy has recreational dancers as well as serious competition teams, and its 25 teachers, including some from the Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, instruct everyone from toddlers to 70-somethings. Saturday’s fundraiser was open to all of the academy’s students. And while Saturday’s Leap-a-thon was good practice for the budding dancers, Webb said raising money was the key, with every dime raised going to the Red Cross.
“We all saw everything that happened (in Haiti),” she said. “We thought it would be a great learning experience for the dancers, as well as being able to help.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2278 or jkelley@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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