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“Houston Stars: Dancing for a Cause 2013” was held on Saturday, October 12th at the beautiful Bayou City Event Center
Because our dancers gave such stunning performances on Saturday, it is hard for many to appreciate how hard they worked, and how long they practiced. Special thanks to Gina Spagnola, President of the Galveston Chamber of Commerce, for her tireless efforts to get the entire city of Galveston engaged in helping with housing for cancer patients and their families. Also to Ray Salti for hosting our special kick-off event.
To see pictures of “Houston Stars: Dancing for a Cause 2013” click on the following links:
The most fun, fundraising gala in Houston!
There was magic in the air as prominent Houston area personalities took to the dance floor to strut their stuff for a good cause on Saturday, October 12, 2013 at Bayou City Event Center at 6:15 p.m., to a sold out house of about 650 attendees. The night featured dance performances from CBS Channel 11’s Katherine Whaley; The Amazing Race Season Seven Winner, Uchenna Agu; The Honorable Marty McVey of McVey & Associates; Owner of Sorrell Urban Bistro and Ray’s Grill, Ray Salti; Galveston Chamber of Commerce President, Gina Spagnola and owner of Choice Limousine Company, Hossein Zolfaghari. Celebrity judges at the event included CBS Channel 11 and 2012 “Houston Stars” Judge’s Choice winner Chita Johnson, professional dancer and Owner & Director of “Premier Dance USA,” Paul Richardson; J.J. Smith, Owner of WinnerViews, and the owner of Dalek Interiors, Dale Tyczkowski. The reigning Mrs. United States, Janet Randolph, graciously modeled emerald, ruby and diamond earrings donated by Tenenbaum & Co. Jeweler’s and Janet also presented the evening’s awards to the dancers. ABC 13’s Sonia Azad and Don Nelson emceed the event and Sonia Azad closed-out the entertainment for the evening with an electric dance performance of her own. Ray Salti won the 2013 “Shining Star” Award for raising the most online votes, which translated into $8,440 in donations for Halo House. Uchenna Agu took home the 2013 “People’s Choice” Award and The Honorable Marty McVey took home the 2013 “Judges’ Choice” Award. Former Halo House residents Chet and Sherry Chandler gave a moving account of how Halo House has impacted their lives. Here is the listing of our 2013 Stars, and the final vote count. Together our special dancers raised over $29,000 to help patients and families with leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma. Halo House and the people we serve are very grateful to them for their tireless efforts. Gina Spagnola President, Galveston Chamber of Commerce Votes: 7,670 |
 Hossein Zolfaghari Entrerprenuer Votes: 5,030 |
 Katherine Whaley KHOU 11 – Anchor Votes: 1,890 |
 Honorable Marty McVey Diplomat, PhilanthropistVotes: 5,210 |
 Ray Salti Sorrell Urban Bistro – Owner Votes: 8,440 |
 Uchenna Agu Bussinessman – Season 7 Amazing Race Winner Votes: 1,060 |
Our fabulous junior dancers from the Fred Astaire Clear Lake Dance Studio have collected $240 in votes for their team, and we are grateful for the contributions. Dylan is dancing in honor of his uncle, who passed away from Lymphoma.
This year’s professional dance coaches:
 Marietta Aguiluz Fred Astaire River Oaks: dancing with Hossein Zolfaghari |
 Kevin Prothro Fred Astaire River Oaks: dancing with Gina Spagnola |
 Katia Kutnetsova Dance with Stars Academy: dancing with Marty McVey |
 Martha Cockrell “Dancing with Martha:” dancing with Ray Salti |
 Chelsea Lu Fred Astaire River Oaks: dancing with Uchenna Agu |
 Lance Estridge The Dance Place: dancing with Katherine Whaley |
This year’s junior dancers are: Olivia – Alex – Dylan – Jaclyn
