Photo: Austen Leake — (Photo - Austen leake)

It was in 2020 when I put on my ballroom shoes and danced the tango for a cause. I participated in “Dancing with the Terre Haute Stars” which supported an organization called Chances and Services for Youth (CASY). Their goal — making sure children can grow up in safe, nurturing environments.

I was paired with an awesome dance partner and went through weeks of fun (and sometimes intense) practices that made for a beautiful performance! Of course, it was during COVID so we did not have much of a crowd. But it was a very rewarding experience.

Well — I’m doing it again in Omaha but this time West Coast Swing!

I am excited to share that I will be a participant in this year’s Dance for a Chance in support of Youth Emergency Services (YES). Their mission is providing housing and support for youth experiencing instability, crisis and homelessness. They want to ensure youth between 16-24 have a place to feel at home and so do I.

Having a stable home is a critical to the future success of our youth. It is often taken for granted that other family members or close relatives can pitch in, when that is not always the case.

We’re also dancing through the decades of YES’ existence —so I’ll be dancing to a song from the 2000s.

By lending your support, YES can continue to fund programs that will give our youth the firm foundation they need to be the changemakers in our community, our country and our world.

So how can you help me support the organization? You can buy a ticket to attend, buy a table or a sponsorship for event and note that you are supporting my by entering my names before you check-out. You can place “votes” for me by donating a dollar for each one (100 votes = $100). You can also drop off in-kind donations to YES and include my names on the donation slip. Lastly, you can provide a meal to YES and put a note in the “type of food” box or reply to the auto-email.

I hope I can have your support in this fun, but critical endeavor. The event is on October 17th and is something of a costume party. We’re celebrating 50 Years of YES so dress in your favorite decade over the last 60 years!

See you there!