JENNIE: Dancing with the Augusta Stars

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — Dancing Stars of Augusta is an annual fundraising event for the Alzheimer’s Association. It features local stars showing off their dancing skills as they vie for the Mirrorball Trophy and People’s Choice Award.

Kelli Brookins is Augusta Development manager with the Alzheimer’s Association.

Kelli Brookins: “More people die of Alzheimer’s disease each year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined. That statistic is always a little shocking to everybody. But there is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease. And so, unfortunately, our numbers keep going up every year instead of going down. This year, we just got new facts and figures out for 2024 and we’re up about half a million more people. So about 7 million people in the United States suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.”

One of the things Dancing with the Stars does is help raise awareness about Alzheimer’s. And our stars are local people here in the community who are raising thousands of dollars.

Kelli Brookins: “So that is a big component of what we do. It is it is a dance competition, which is always fun and it’s very entertaining, of course, but it is a fundraising competition, too. And that’s what That People’s Choice Award is that you mentioned. So we have a mirrorball trophy and our judges give that out and they give out scores. And then we also have that people’s choice and we have got some great stars here in Augusta this year. They’re raising all kinds of funds and they’re doing really creative things to raise funds, which I always really appreciate it. And kind of going back to the caregivers, though, you know, one way that we support here in Augusta is through our caregiver support groups, our early stage groups. In the United States, we have 11 million unpaid caregivers that provide 18 Billion hours of their service, and that amounts to about $347 billion every year. And so we really try to focus not only on the research and getting those treatments, but also helping our caregivers here in our community, because that is so stressful for them.”

JENNIE: You have the pro dancers who are paired with the other dancers. And you always have to give a shout out to Teena Marie and Ballroom in Motion.

Kelli Brookins: “We could not do this event without Teena Marie and Ballroom in Motion. We really appreciate their help. They help provide the pros for us. They help with the backstage part of it. And Teena Marie is just a great in the community. She always wants to help people, not just our organization. So we really appreciate that. And they dance at the studio, they dance with the pros and that’s how they get their routine together.”

Sponsor tables are already sold out. But you can still get tickets to see the actual competition. Dancing Stars of Augusta is coming up Saturday, May 4th at 7 p.m. at the Columbia County Performing Arts Center. Dressed to impress, it’s black tie optional. For more information about the event and sponsor opportunities, contact Kelli Brookins at 770-354-8849.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WJBF.