Dancing for a Cultural Arts Center in Harford County; $84,000 Raised During Annual Ballroom Dancing Competition

From Harford Center for the Arts:

Harford County community leaders showcased their ballroom dancing talents at the 6th Annual Dancing for the Arts fundraiser on Saturday, September 21, 2013. The event was held at the Bulle Rock Residents’ Club and included an open bar, food, musical entertainment, a live auction and a friendly ballroom dancing competition. The participants took dancing lessons with professional dancers from the Churchville dance studio Dancing With Friends to prepare for the evening. Over 200 people attended the event and over $84,000 was raised. The Center for the Arts was proud to have two former members of the military involved this year. Time was taken to acknowledge their service and the service of military members and their families around the world.

Carolyn Evans, Partner at Sengstacke & Evans, won the Top Fundraiser Award for raising $14,345. Mary Anne Medeiros, Owner/Operator of Salon Marielle and Founder & Chairperson of the Red Pump Ball for Upper Chesapeake, won the Judges’ Choice Award. The 2nd Place Fundraiser Award went to Dr. Lisa Feulner, President of Advanced Eye Care. Suzanne Green, Y Director of the Walter and Betty Ward Family Center, received the 3rd Place Fundraising Award.

The Harford dancing “Stars” included:

*Robert Buden-Aka Mr. Havre de Grace

*Jim Costigan-Retired Colonel & Site Manager, General Dynamics C4 Systems

*Carolyn Evans-Partner, Sengstacke & Evans, LLC

*Lisa Feulner, M.D.- Ophthalmologist, Advanced Eye Care

*Linda Goetz-Director Nurse Anesthetists, University of Maryland Medical Center/R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center

*Suzanne Green-Director, Y of Central Maryland, Walter & Betty Ward Family Center

*Dave Harper-Realtor, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

*Mary Anne Medeiros-Owner, Salon Marielle

*N. Lee Price-Major General, U.S. Army

The Honorary Chair was Tamera Rush, Vice President of STG Inc., winner of the 2012 Judges’ Choice Award. The emcee was ABC2 News Anchor Jamie Costello. Aimee O’Neill of O’Neill Enterprises conducted the live auction. Deborah Pro-Marshall, Judge Angela Eaves, Tony Meoli, and Mark Welsh returned for the 6th year to judge the dancing competition and award the Judges’ Choice Award.

Community Volunteer Betty Ward was presented with the Jeffrey J. Plum Legacy in the Arts Award. The honor is presented annually by the Center for the Arts to an individual whose selfless dedication to the mission of the Center for the Arts has made a lasting contribution. The award was named in honor of Jeffrey Plum whose passion for life and love of the arts, especially theatre, contributed so much to the lives of others and the Center for the Arts.

2013 Sponsors:

Art Masterpiece- I95 Business and Mason-Dixon ARRIVE

Art Society- Clark Turner Homes, Laurel Bush Family Dentistry and MNS Group

Art Ambassador- The Harford Mutual Insurance Company. The Aegis, Harford’s Heart, Chesapeake Environmental Management, Inc.

Friend of the Arts- Betty Ward, J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc., APG Federal Credit Union, HC Style Magazine, Harford Cable Network, Harford Community College

Art Gallery- Cosmetic Surgery Center of Maryland and Medspa, Stack & Store Mini Storage, Harford Vineyard & Winery, Jiffy Lube of Aberdeen, The Marquez Harris Group at Robert W. Baird & Co., North East Racing & Sports Club, and The Kelly Group

This month a new CEO will be hired by the Board of Trustees. The new strategic plan is nearing completion, and the traffic and environmental impact studies are underway. The Center for the Arts is poised to enter the capital campaign phase propelling us toward breaking ground! The money raised will help sustain the Center for the Arts as it moves forward to build a regional arts center in Harford County on a 41-acre parcel of land from the estate of Emily Bayless Graham donated to Harford County Government for the sole purpose of construction of a cultural center.

The Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the establishment of a Center for the Arts in Harford County, accessible to all, to nurture art, artists, and community by providing a broad range of creative and collaborative experiences through quality arts education, presentation & exhibit in the discipline of music, dance, theatre and the visual, traditional & literary arts. The Center for the Arts will also include special event and business meeting space as well as a heritage museum for Harford County. For more information call (410) 838-2177 or visit www.HarfordCFA.org.