The 10th annual Dancing with Our Stars returns to the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Noblesville, 13700 Conference Center Dr., from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Sept. 5.
All proceeds benefit Meals on Wheels Hamilton County, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit governed by a volunteer board of directors that delivers more than 200 meals daily, including breakfasts, freezer meals, cold lunches and hot meals, to the elderly, people with disabilities or who are homebound and people suffering from chronic illnesses.
This year, to celebrate the event’s 10th anniversary, the theme is “Decades.” Dancers will showcase styles from the 1930s through the 2010s. Guests are encouraged to dress according to their favorite decade.
Beth Gehlhausen, executive director of Meals on Wheels Hamilton County, looks forward to the event.
“Every year just keeps getting better and better,” Gehlhausen said. “The level of commitment, along with the wow factor demonstrated by our dancing couples, is always off the charts and will completely mesmerize the crowd.”
Gehlhausen said local professional dancers are paired with some of Hamilton County’s “most-recognizable” residents, competing to be named Dancing with Our Stars Champions 2024. Audience members also can vote for their favorite dancer or dancers to win the night’s People’s Choice Award.
“We have some special tricks up our sleeves for our 10th-year event,” Gehlhausen said. “The professional dancers are working hard to bring out the very best in each of our celebrity dancers.”
This year’s professional dancers are Rob Jenkins, Scott Shook, Adam Trogdlen, Ed Godby-Schwab, Natasha Cox, Yulia Shook, Diana Miller, Olga Cansino and Kristen Motz.
Gehlhausen said Hamilton County’s “celebrity” dancers are chosen based on suggestions from past dancers and people who committee members know, among other methods.
“At the end of the day, what we want to do is have people dance that want to, but it can also bring new people to the table,” Gehlhausen said. “We have had big-time extroverts, but we’ve also had some amazing introverts be spectacular. There are no real qualifications other than the willingness to want to dance and raise money for us. We have a suggested amount for each individual to raise, which is $10,000, and that is done through sponsorships and donations.”
Corby Thompson, a Fishers resident and 2021 participant, said the event was out of his comfort zone, but he “dove headfirst” into the competition.
“I just had an absolute blast. It was so much fun,” Thompson said. “During our last dress rehearsal, it struck me how much effort everyone put into making sure we performed a good show and raised money for Meals on Wheels. It was impressive and I was proud to be a part of something that was a solid effort for a good cause. We’re all a little bit shy about taking that celebrity title, and people are reluctant to do it just because you’re putting yourself out there. But I just had fun with it and I encourage other people to do the same.”
This year’s Hamilton County “celebrities” are:
● Marti Brown – Mortgage lender at Fairway Independent Mortgage
● Melissa Carter – Owner of Balanced Health Clinic
● Linda Mylin – Certified health coach
● Kim Kerchval – Co-owner of Village Pizza
● Doug Pileri – Retired vice president and chairman of the board of Music for All
● Trevor Pike – Controls analyst for Freedom Mortgage
● Benji Lewis – Physical education teacher at Monon Trail Elementary
● Matt Rapp – Facilities director for Hamilton Southeastern
● Cameron Rivers – Esource Resources
Gehlhausen said the event is the largest fundraiser for Meals on Wheels Hamilton County.
“We were looking for an event that was kind of different, something that wasn’t a traditional gala but still gathered people together with the idea of raising awareness,” Gehlhausen said. “The cool thing is that every year there’s 10 new celebrities or people from the community who are dancing, which means we’re exposed to their family, friends and co-workers, which means every year, at least three-fourths of the people that attend are new to the event. So, we’re able to raise awareness and find friends that become donors on an ongoing basis. It’s a different perspective that works well for us.”
The event has helped Meals on Wheels Hamilton County serve the growing number of people who need help with meals.
“What has absolutely exploded is the amount of food people are needing,” Gehlhausen said. “Ever since the (COVID-19 pandemic), people have been much more dependent on our program for all of their meals, or the majority of their meals. We’re giving hot and cold (meals) every day, plus frozen meals for the weekend. So, we’ve really seen an increase in the need for food and the amount of food needed to sustain nutritional needs. It’s been pretty incredible.”
Gehlhausen said her goal for this year’s event is to raise between $65,000 and $70,000.
“Every year is different. Last year, I had two dancers that were going head-to-head,” Gehlhausen said. “Between the two of them, they raised over $65,000. This year, we’ve got some people working really hard with their fundraising. So, it’s going to be really interesting.”
For more, visit mealsonwheelshc.org/dancing-with-our-stars. Tickets will be available until noon Aug. 29.
Meals on Wheels Hamilton County
Meals on Wheels Hamilton County, inside Riverview Health in Noblesville, delivers hot, cold and frozen meals to people in need throughout the county.
“The majority of the people, meaning about 60 percent of those we serve, are on some kind of financial assistance,” said Beth Gehlhausen, the organization’s executive director. “From us, Monday through Friday, people can get a hot and cold meal that’s brought to them by volunteers. So, we’re trying to make sure people have access to meals seven days a week to meet their nutritional needs, with our ultimate goal being to keep people as nutritionally healthy as possible.”
Gehlhausen said one of the organization’s greatest needs is volunteers to deliver meals.
“We have 19 routes that we send out every day for our hot and cold meals, and our frozen meals go out every Friday, and right now we have eight routes for that,” Gehlhausen said. “We really need to grow our volunteer base. Our call to action would be for people to attend our fundraising event, but also we’d love to find more people to drive for us.”
To volunteer, visit mealsonwheelshc.org.
