St. Cloud, Minn. – The Women’s Fund ‘Dancing With Our Stars, Live!’ event has raised $364,048 to support girls, women in transitional phases in their lives and elder women in our community. The event was held in the Escher Auditorium on the campus of the College of Saint Benedict, and it gathered a crowd of more than 600 people. Funds raised by dancers and charities ($198,423), combined with event sponsorships ($165,625), raising $364,048 for local organizations that benefit women and girls within a 30-mile radius of St. Cloud.
This year’s 7th annual event featured a dance competition among six local “community stars” who were paired with a professional dancer for a chance to win up to a $15,000 grant for the nonprofit program of their choice. The Women’s Fund of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation donated a total of $42,000 in grant money to participants based on their rankings in the competition.
Dancers showcased their skills to raise funds for their supported charities through the Women’s Fund event. Final scoring for the competition was based 60% on the dollars raised for the associated charity and 40% on judges’ scores.
The Women’s Fund Presents is proud to announce the results from the 2023 event:
-Community Star, Rachel Thompson from Visit Greater St. Cloud, danced with pro Amber Schmiesing to benefit Zonta Club of St. Cloud. They raised $69,886 and took home 1st place prize of $15,000 for a grand total of $84,886 awarded.
-Community Star, Ayan Omar from District 742, danced with pro Jesús Sandoval to benefit the Local Activities Education Foundation (LEAF) for District 742. They raised $45,493 and took home 2nd place prize of $10,000 for a grand total of $55,493 awarded.
-Community Star, Franco Cusipag from Sherburne State Bank, danced with pro Lucille Guinta to benefit the INDY Foundation. They raised $32,073 and took home 3rd place prize of $5,000 and were honored the Judge’s Choice award of and additional $3,000 for a grand total of $40,073 awarded.
-Community Star, Jason Miller from Premier Real Estate Services, danced with pro Janell Missler to benefit St. Cloud Hospital NICU. They raised $25,704 and took home 4th place prize of $3,000 for a grand total of $28,704 awarded.
-Community Star, Ben Anderson from the St. Cloud Fire Department, danced with pro Shantelle DesMarais to benefit St. Cloud COP House. They raised $17,381 and took home 5th place prize of $3,000 for a grand total of $20,381 awarded.
-Community Star, Christine Skoog with Christine’s Cheesecakes, danced with pro Matthias Meyer to benefit Tanner’s Team. They raised $7,884 and took home 6th place prize of $3,000 for a grand total of $10,884 awarded.
These results are unaudited, and dollars are continuing to come in for the charities. These numbers reflect the total amount raised as of June 12, 2023 at 8:00 p.m.
Since 2002, the Women’s Fund of the Central Minnesota Community Foundation has been dedicated to strengthening the community by improving the lives of women and girls. The Women’s Fund has granted nearly $1.6 million to support local programs in three core focus areas: girls age 10-18, women in transition and elder women.
The Central Minnesota Community Foundation (CMCF) attracts and administers charitable funds for the benefit of the local community. Since 1985, CMCF has grown to over $143.7 million in assets and awarded over $148 million in grants to non-profits. The CMCF is governed by a local board of directors and is a partner of CommunityGiving, which is a collaborative of community foundations united under a single framework to create efficiencies that maximize the impact of our donors. Collectively, CommunityGiving administers over 1,000 funds totaling nearly $195 million. Learn more at CommunityGiving.org/CentralMN.