Women’s Fund ‘Dancing With Our Stars’ Raises $463K

St. Cloud, Minn. – The Women’s Fund ‘Dancing With Our Stars, Live!’ event has raised $463,005.93 to support girls, women experiencing adversity 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 500 people. Funds raised by dancers and nonprofits ($290,005.93) combined with event sponsorships ($173,000) raising $463,005.93 for local organizations that benefit women and girls within a 30-mile radius of St. Cloud.
 
This year’s 8^th 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. A total of 10% of donations raised by dancers will go to support future Women’s Fund programming and Women’s Fund Presents events.
 
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 2024 event:
 
Community Star Jim Maurice with WJON danced with pro Lisa Lawson to benefit Quiet Oaks Hospice House for its Quiet Oaks Supporting Women program. They raised $85,707.49 and took home 1^st place prize of $15,000 for a grand total of $100,707.49 awarded.
 
Community Star Steve Jones with the United Way of Central Minnesota danced with pro Janell Missler to benefit the United Way’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for Girls. They raised $78,778.81 and took home 2^nd place prize of $10,000 for a grand total of $88,778.81 awarded.
 
Community Star Debra Leigh with the St. Cloud Technical and Community College danced with pro Lee Morgan for Women’s Leadership Pathways at the SCTCC Multicultural Center. They raised $51,581.56 and took home 3^rd place prize of $5,000 and were honored the Judge’s Choice award of an additional $3,000 for a grand total of $59,581.56 awarded.
 
Community Star Cathy Elness with the St. Cloud Area YMCA danced with pro Jeff Ringer to benefit the YMCA’s Girls ‘Safety Around Water’ (SAW) program. They raised $36,053.70 and took home 4^th place prize of $3,000 for a grand total of $39,053.70 awarded.
 
Community Star Michelle Meier with Arbor Hair Studio danced with pro Tuan (David) Le to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation for its Camp Oasis Summer Program for Girls. They raised $24,025.31 and took home 5th place prize of $3,000 for a grand total of $27,025.31 awarded.
 
Community Star Brady DeGagne with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central MN danced with pro Rachel Trout to benefit the Club’s SMART Girls program. They raised 13,859.06 and took home 6^th place prize of $3,000 for a grand total of $16,859.06 awarded.
 
These results are unaudited, and dollars are continuing to come in for the nonprofits. These numbers reflect the total amount raised as of June 10, 2024 at 8:00 p.m.