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On July 31st, local celebrities helped save babies by battling in "Dance for Babies," a March of Dimes fundraiser that pushed local celebrities to the threshold of their dancing abilities. Prior to their performances, the celebrities underwent 6 - 8 weeks of rehearsals with their professional dance instructors/partners from the Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studios. After each pair performed a tango and a cha cha routine, Amy Freeze, Fox Chicago award-winning meteorologist and mother of an adopted premature daughter, was declared the 2008 Dance for Babies champion. Preliminary figures suggest that the event doubled attendance, as well as the funds raised from last year.
Celebrity judges included Jesse DeSoto, professional dancer/instructor from the ABC Network show Dancing with the Stars (two seasons) and owner of the Buffalo Grove Fred Astaire Dance Studio; Megan Murphy, professional ballroom dancer and instructor at the Michigan Avenue Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Chicago; and Howard Griffith, retired star Full Back for the Denver Broncos and current lead sports analyst for the Big Ten Network. Griffith participated in the 2007 Dance for Babies as a celebrity dancer and won first place in the competition.
The other local celebrity dancers who performed were Zoraida Sambolin, NBC5 morning news anchor (3rd place), Jen Schefft, former bachelorette from the ABC television network shows, The Bachelor and The Bachelorette , Marcus Leshock, CLTV Metromix host, Dr. Lauren Streicher, Chicago Sun-Times columnist and author (2nd place) , and Jane Marcus, senior partner and practice leader for Heidrick & Struggles.
The dance instructors, provided by the Chicagoland Fred Astaire Dance Studios, were Vance Mabry from the Burr Ridge location (Zoraida Sambolin), Simona Polmova from the Buffalo Grove studio (Marcus Leshock), Jason Rutz from the Hoffman Estates studio (Jen Schefft), Dmitriy Plyvskiy from the Chicago location (Amy Freeze), Kenneth Jarvis from the Tinley Park studio (Lauren Streicher), and Aaron DeSoto from the Buffalo Grove location (Jane Marcus).
The March of Dimes is the champion for all babies, and has protected their health for 70 years, beginning with funding the research that led to the prevention of polio. The March of Dimes is the first and only organization that has found the cure for which it was established and also is the first health organization to host a nationwide walk. Founded in 1938 by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the organization was originally called the National Infantile Paralysis Foundation. After funding the research that led to the cure for polio, the organization changed its focus to prematurity.
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.
