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10

Nov, 2015

Dancing with the Community Stars

With blue lights illuminating the gymnasium at Variety Boys and Girls Club, local leaders and supporters danced the night away at the sixth annual Dancing with the Community Stars fundraiser.

Nearly 100 guests enjoyed music, dance and a buffet at the charity event, which raises money to support youth programs for the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens in Long Island City.

Matthew Troy, the club’s new executive director, said the community truly came together for this fundraiser.

“It’s truly a grassroots organization,” said Troy, who started his new job just two weeks ago. “We’re not looking for billionaires to support us, if we have the support of our neighbors, kids, parents, [and] community members. They’ve all come together and they’re committed to helping this club into the future.”

Six pairs of dancers – a community star and a dancing pro in each tandem – competed for the top spot. In the end, Andrea Mungo, a renowned social worker, and Frank Perez, a professional ballroom dancer, claimed the first place trophy with their waltz worked to perfection.

The duo of Jason Banrey, deputy chief of staff for Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, and Ella Rosewood, a choreographer and dance specialist, electrified the audience with an impressive array of dance moves. Placing second, they were also voted the crowd favorites for the night.

Other community stars that participated in the dancing contest included Sgt. Chris Lockel, a 17-year veteran of the NYPD, Wanda Cruz, a longtime teacher at P.S. 150 in Sunnyside, Luis Ramones, a firefighter and business owner, and Tania Broschart, a vice president branch manager at Astoria Bank.

Vinny Renda, vice president of the board of directors of Variety Boys and Girls Club, acknowledged that community leaders play a key role for the organization.

“It takes a village to raise a child,” Renda, who helped organize this event with pro dancer Michele Bowles, told the crowd. “And tonight, you are the village.”

Troy said he hopes Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens will become a hub and a resource for people in the community. The money raised tonight will go to strengthening the program offerings, which Troy said is one of his core priorities.

“The club has come a long way since we were founded 60 years ago. Our mission and who we serve has evolved over the years,” he said. “I want to have the best athletics, aquatics, art, music, dance programs in Queens. That is my goal.”

To make that possible, Troy is employing strategies like partnering with organizations that can support the club’s ambitions.

One example is a new STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) program funded by a Time Warner Cable grant. By partnering with TWC and graduate schools nearby, the program will offer courses in topics like robotics, engineering and graphic design.

“We really think this is going to set us into the future,” Troy said. “It’s what our kids and our parents have been asking for. It’s going to be exciting for us.”

He said events like Dancing with the Community Stars go a long way in raising the funds necessary for these programs.

“I’d like to have more of these types of community-focused fundraisers, so we bring in the wider community to come, enjoy themselves, have fun here, and support a good cause,” Troy said.

The event also paid tribute to Malik Wood, a 19-year-old staff member at Variety Boys and Girls Club who died just two weeks ago from an inoperable brain tumor.

Wood participated in the first four Dancing with the Community Stars events as a pro dancer. His mother was a judge at Saturday’s event.

Renda coached Woods in basketball for four years. When he found out about Wood’s recent passing, Renda said he was shocked, sad and speechless.

He remembers Wood as a great kid who always had a smile on his face.

“He always lit up the room,” Renda said.

- See more at: http://www.queensledger.com