"Dancing with Athens Stars" line-up

Hello! I wanted to let you know the line-up -- revealed yesterday -- for the 2009 "Dancing with Athens Stars" at the Classic Center. Our big surprise star from Oconee County is . . . Sgt. Courtney Gale! She's paired with dance instructor Ron Putman, who is based at Freedom of Movement in Oconee. And another surprise is . . . Commissioner Michael Thurmond! Please see the other stars and their match-ups in the press release below. You can also learn the winner of -- and the phenomenal tally of funds raised by the 12 finalists vying for -- the "People's Choice" slot in the show. People can vote online at Project Safe's web-site for their favorite dancer starting on December 1st. Thank you! Pat Priest Co-Executive Producer ----------------------------------------------------------- Project Safe has announced its line-up for the 2009 "Dancing with Athens Stars," its signature spring dance competition that raises money for services for battered women and their children. The line-up was revealed at a kick-off event Wednesday at the Family Protection Center, a multi-agency facility in Athens where Project Safe's advocates work closely with specially trained police and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners to provide crisis and longer-term assistance. Among the 12 stars announced by Co-executive Producer Pat Priest, the headliner in the March 1st show at the Classic Center will surely be Sgt. Courtney Gale, the police officer who was stabbed repeatedly by a mentally ill man at Kroger's in December 2007. Gale's prognosis was grim, but she has worked tirelessly to walk again. She's already been working with her dance instructor, Ron Putman of Freedom of Movement in Oconee, despite her leg brace and some lack of motor control in one foot. Gale said of her involvement in the dance challenge, ""I would like to thank our community that has embraced me though this life-changing event with continued support." Another notable star in the line-up is state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond, a popular native son of Athens who has published two well-regarded books on the history and contributions of African-Americans in Athens and the state. He'll receive lessons from a dance studio in Stone Mountain but will dance in the show with his daughter Makaia, a freshman at UGA and the 2006/2007 Miss Georgia Jr. Teen. Another distinguished figure chosen to compete is a respected professor who has taught generations of law students at UGA: Associate Dean and J. Alton Hosch Professor of Law Paul Kurtz, a specialist in family and criminal law. He has been on the faculty since 1975. He'll be dancing with a former student, Natalie Grier-Cox, now a practicing attorney. Passionate about dance, she also finds time to teach at Dancefx and the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. Others in the roster include public radio station WUGA's News Director Mary Kay Mitchell (dancing with Michael Moody, a private salsa and zydeco instructor); Fausto Sarmiento, Bank Manager of El Banco de la Oportunidad (dancing with Kathy Cole of The Dancer's Studio); Theressa Dorsey, an Emergency Center Nurse at St. Mary's and winner in 2006 of the Catherine McAuley Award, the hospital's highest honor (dancing with Aaron Talbert of Dancefx); Dr. Jim Moore, plastic and reconstructive surgeon and Chair of the Board of Trustees at Athens Regional Medical Center (paired with Cheryl Gerde, a private instructor); music producer John Keane of John Keane Studios, where REM, the Indigo Girls and other top bands have made music beloved around the world (dancing with Genie Wiggins, an instructor at the Oconee Youth School of Performance and artistic director of the KinetiCorps performance collective of Athens); Paul Cramer, Executive Director of the Classic Center (paired with Barb Putman of Freedom of Movement); and Stacey Venker, Director of Tennis for Life (whose instructor is Susan Murphy, the founder of Canopy, an aerial dance studio). Project Safe's Executive Director Joan Prittie also announced the "People's Choice" winner at the kick-off. The winner was the top fund-raiser (among 12 finalists) who had earned the most votes (at $1 a vote) to secure a spot in the show. Prittie announced that Rebecca Cheney, a graduate student studying gerontology at UGA, with her endless energy and resourcefulness, was the winner. Cheney has been partnered with Erik Hofmeister, a member of the faculty in the UGA Vet School and Faculty Adviser to the UGA Swing Club and Ballroom Dance Club. Prittie surprised the finalists by declaring that a second person, Tammy Gilland, had also earned a spot in the line-up because of her spirited fund-raising - and her many community accomplishments. Gilland is the Senior Director of Constituent Programs in UGA's development office, and she's also earned a slew of awards for her community service. She will be dancing with private instructor Derrek Walters, who - with his partner Beth Gavrilles - won this year's "Judges' Choice" trophy. One last surprise included the announcement that three finalists in the "People's Choice" competition had been selected to appear in the 2010 show, already scheduled for the Classic Center. These include Madison County High School student and super-volunteer Dylan Brooks; elementary schoolteacher Charlotte House (who also created two of the bulldogs in the "Who Let the Dawgs Out?" public art campaign); and Laurie Jones, an interior office designer and cancer survivor. The tally of all funds raised by the 12 finalists was almost $25,000. The popular celebrity judges from this year's show will return in 2009 to comment on each performance and to determine which couple will win the "Judges' Choice" trophy. Judges include Dr. Mark Wheeler, a professor in UGA's School of Dance; Suzanne Yoculan, UGA's indomitable gymnastics coach; and a real judge - Superior Court Judge Steve Jones. For more information, contact Joan Prittie at jprittie@project-safe.org or (706) 549-0922. The line-up in brief: 1. Fausto Sarmiento, Bank Manager at El Banco de la Oportunidad 2. Mary Kay Mitchell, News Director at WUGA (91.7 and 97.9 FM) 3. Dean Paul Kurtz, Associate Dean, UGA School of Law 4. John Keane, celebrated music producer 5. Theressa Dorsey, St. Mary's Emergency Center Nurse 6. Paul Cramer, Executive Director of the Classic Center 7. Dr. Jim Moore, Plastic and reconstructive surgeon 8. Stacey Venker, Director, Tennis for Life 9. Rebecca Cheney, UGA graduate student in Gerontology (the "People's Choice" winner) 10. Michael Thurmond, State Labor Commissioner 11. Sgt. Courtney Gale, Athens/Clarke County police officer 12. Tammy Gilland, Senior Director of Constituent Programs, UGA's Development Office