8 star dancers named for 2007 fundraiser

They are excited. Some have dance experience and some don’t, but they are ready to start fundraising for the 2007 Dancing with the Starz event.

About 160 people attended the kick-off party held Sunday at the Olde Marco Island Inn & Suites. The stars from last year’s event arrived in a limousine first and spoke briefly with Gary Rosen, master of ceremonies. They were Father Pat Boyhan, Sandy Franchino, Arturo Perez and Rhoda Rad. Kira Krumm arrived later and Rick Popoff was unable to attend.

Everyone was anxiously awaiting the naming of the stars for the 2007 event — up from six dancers in 2006 to eight this time around. They are Santo Gentile, Howard Jordan, Mike Murphy, Betty Newman, Maria Elena Pujol, Darlene Schulze, Tara Trevethan and Craig Woodward.

The black-tie event Dancing with the Starz will be Aug. 11 at the Marco Island Marriott Resort. Tickets are $125 and available at the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce and there are table sponsorship tickets for $750.

Jim and Tammy Clemens, owners of Modern Steps School of Dance in Naples, are sponsoring the event and providing the professional dance lessons.

Judy Perez said the vision of the event was “to bring the community together to raise funds for local charities we all care about and to have fun doing it.”

Last year the event raised $120,000 and Perez said this year the goal is $250,000. Franchino is the co-chair with Perez this year.

The Dancing with the Starz event is now a nonprofit organization called Dance to Enhance.

“We want to make this the biggest event on Marco Island,” Perez said.

A $1,000 check was given from the Dancing with the Starz to each charity from last year’s event the American Cancer Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation, the Marco Island Charter Middle School, Tommie Barfield Elementary, Marco Island YMCA, Marco Foundation for the Arts and Catholic Charities.

Again, each star will raise money for a charity: Gentile (San Marco Catholic Church and St. Vincent DePaul); Jordan (Upon A Star Foundation); Murphy (Healthy Kids/Kid Care and eye glasses for children through the county health department); Newman (Marco Island Art League); Pujol (Youth Haven); Schulze (H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute Foundation); Trevethan (Hospice of Naples and Marco Island); and Woodward (Marco Island Historical Society).

“I’m not worried about the dancing part. I’m worried about the fundraising part,” Trevethan said.