REGINA - For nearly a decade now, an event known as Swinging With the Stars Regina has paired local influencers with professional dancers to raise money for Hope’s Home.
Jacqueline Tisher, founder of Hope’s Home, explained how the organization started the event in the first place.
"It was an idea off of Dancing with the Stars." The hit reality dancing series pairs stars with professional dancers that compete to earn money.
So, Hope’s Home decided to incorporate that concept and started out their version of the show, Swinging with the Stars, around 10 years ago.
The event first started out as a fundraiser provincially and in Saskatoon before the Hope’s Home branches in Regina and Prince Albert were given the rights to Swinging With the Stars a few years later.
Each year, preparations for the event start around July. At this point, the organization will have eight influencers and eight dancers who will participate in the fundraiser.
Tisher pointed out Hope’s Home will reach out to influencers and see if they’re willing to participate in the fundraiser. Additionally, local celebrities will sometimes reach out to the organization.
As for the professional dancers, Jenny Macknak, philanthropy associate with Hope’s Home, said the organization works with a couple of dance studios each year that will participate in the event or those said studios will give recommendations to find other dancers.
Once the lineups are set, pairs will have around half a year to train and prepare a unique performance.
When asked if it can be challenging for influencers to learn dancing, Macknak noted most of the ones she has worked with have told her that they are really stepping out of their comfort zone in order to learn how to dance.
Even though it’s something they’re not used to, influencers still want to do their best to raise money for a good cause.
Macknak was asked what that meant to her, and she said, "it’s amazing. They literally are my heroes."
The reason Macknak mentioned she looks up to them is that "the fact that they give up all their time, you know, to learn not only dancing but an actual routine and put themselves out there [on a stage] is just remarkable," she said.
As pairs begin to work out their routine for the fundraiser, people can vote beforehand for their favourite dancers.
Tisher explained by voting for a certain pair, "they can donate [money with the vote] if they want to get $25 for a vote [for example], or they can, you know, give even more."
Audience members can also vote and donate money during the main event. One way Swinging with the Stars is able to connect the audience with each pair is by playing a minute intro of the duo before their performance. This is a way that people can learn about the influencer's motivation and what it was like for the dancing professionals to work with them.
Additionally, after each pair dances, the hosts will ask them a few questions as well.
After the fundraiser is over, whoever raises the most money will win the People's Choice Award.
For the main performances, each pair has 3-4 minutes to showcase a unique routine based on a theme.
Once every pair does their routine, the judges will hand out the Judges' Choice Award for their favourite performance.
Between the fundraisers by every pair, sponsors, and tickets sold, which go directly to the organization, over $715,000 has been raised alone in the six previous years of the event.
Tisher mentioned the goal for every fundraiser is to hit the $150,000 mark. With the money, Hope’s Home focuses on its two programs, early learning & child care centres and supported living homes.
She expanded on what each program does. "[So for our early learning &] medically inclusive child care centres, children with complex medical needs can come because we have nurses on staff. Tisher pointed out Hope's Home [is] "recognized as the first medical child care centre in Canada to offer nursing rights in our centres."
As for their supported living homes program, "these are homes that children with complex medical needs [are in] that, [you know], typically may be living within our hospital or long-term care facilities because of the nursing care they need," said Tisher.
With all that Hope’s Home is able to accomplish because of the money from the fundraisers, the group isn’t considering making any changes in the future.
They did note attendance for the fundraisers after the pandemic did drop a bit, but this year’s event has seen a larger turnout than most years.
Anyone who missed the fundraiser can still donate towards Hope’s Home programs on their website.
