2010 "Dancing with Athens Stars" nominations open!
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From: Pat Priest <ppriest@charter.net>
Date: April 17, 2009 3:07:13 PM EDT
To: 2010 "Dancing with Athens Stars" nominations open!
We're already planning next year's "Dancing with Athens Stars"!
Could you please help us get the word out about the "People's Choice"
nominations? I've attached the press release in rtf format, but here it
is below, too, since it's scary to open attached files these days!
As you probably know, we've had strong contenders from Oconee in the
line-up in the past, and it would be wonderful to receive lots of nominations so that we might have more still. Commissioner Chuck Horton danced in the inaugural show, and Sgt. Courtney Gale danced this year and came in a strong second in the Audience Favorite voting!
Thank you for your assistance!
Pat Priest
Co-producer, "Dancing with Athens Stars"
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Press Release
April 17, 2009
Project Safe
P.O. Box 7532
Athens, GA 30604
Contacts: Pat Priest (ppriest@charter.net, w/h: 706 353-8310); Kat
Yancey Gilmore (katyanceygilmore@yahoo.com, w/h: 706-797-3119); Joan
Prittie (jprittie@project-safe.org, w: 706-549-0922)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"People's Choice" nominations solicited for "Dancing with Athens Stars" 2010
(ATHENS, Ga.) -- Project Safe is offering the public an opportunity to
pick one of the contestants for its signature late-winter fund-raising
event, "Dancing with Athens Stars."
Members of the public can help shape the 2010 show by nominating someone
they would like to see dance at the event. Self-nominations are also
accepted. All nominations submitted by mail must be post-marked no
later than Friday, May 15, 2009; nominations submitted by email must be
received by Friday, May 15, 2009.
Nominations may be mailed to P.O. Box 7532, Athens, GA 30604 or e-mailed
to Project Safe's Executive Director, Joan Prittie, at
jprittie@project-safe.org.
A committee of "Dancing" alumni and dance instructors will review all
nominations and choose the finalists, who will then be contacted to see
if they are willing -- and are brave enough! -- to perform before a live
audience at the Classic Center on March 7, 2010.
Once the "People's Choice" finalists are selected, members of the public
can pick their favorites by voting on Project Safe's web-site from July
1st through August 31st. Each vote will cost one dollar.
What kind of person is Project Safe looking for among the nominees?
"We're always looking to reflect the vibrant mosaic of Athens'
diversity," said Joan Prittie, Project Safe's Executive Director. "This
year's show included larger-than-life personalities such as (University
of Georgia) law school dean Paul Kurtz and heroic people such as
(Athens-Clarke County) police officer Courtney Gale, who has triumphed
over the terrible injuries she sustained when a mentally unstable man
stabbed her repeatedly while she was working an off-duty job at a
grocery store. But we also choose people who make outstanding
contributions to our community in other ways but may not be well known,
such as Theressa Dorsey, an ER team leader at St. Mary's Hospital."
"People should nominate someone they believe is a shining star in the
community -- perhaps because of his or her accomplishments, service to
the community, infectious personality, a hardship they've overcome – or
some combination of the above!" added "Dancing" co-producer Pat Priest. "Bonus points are given to people who can –- perhaps with the help of
friends -- muster a lot of support for Project Safe. The more
information we have about the nominee, the better the person will fare
when our panel of advisers must narrow the field of candidates to those
who will vie to be 'The People's Choice' in 2010."
Nominees should reside in Athens or the surrounding area. Submissions
should include a rousing rationale for why the person would make a great
addition to the line-up; a phone and e-mail address for both the nominee
and the person or group making the nomination should also be provided.
The final "People's Choice" contestant will be chosen in early
September; that selection is based on the strength of the fund-raising
done between July 1 and August 31. After that, the "People's Choice"
contestant and the members from the rest of the dancing line-up will
each be paired with an outstanding dance instructor from the greater
Athens area. The instructors, who volunteer their time, will teach their
star pupils in private lessons and dance with them at the 2010 event.
Executive producers Prittie and Priest will reveal the entire 2010
"Dancing" line-up later this year. The dancers will compete on stage
next March for the coveted "Judges' Choice Award" and the award for
"Audience Favorite." The funds raised through ticket sales and
$1-per-vote donations for the "Audience Favorite" award support crucial
services such as the hot-line and shelter, life-affirming activities for
children, and transitional housing for women rebuilding their lives
after the horrors and cruel emotional abuse of domestic violence.
The non-profit organization raised more than $90,000 from the 2009
"Dancing with Athens Stars" event – a figure three times what was earned
from the first event held in 2008. More than 90 percent of all donations are targeted directly to serve the needs of domestic violence
victims.
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