The Movers & Shakers Gala marked its 10th anniversary on Saturday, May 20, at Lakeland University, as seven local celebrities shared their best dance moves to raise money for Lakeland University.
One of the celebrity dancers was our Social Media Manager, Lindsay Harrison-Eirich. She performed a swing routine with her partner, Trevor Baxter, to Big and Rich’s popular song, “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” The performance was a crowd pleaser complete with high flying lifts and technical dance steps.
Movers and Shakers Gala is a fundraiser for Lakeland University. “Last year, we raised more than $200,000 to support student scholarships and the Sheboygan County Scholars program,” said Deborah Wente, a member of the Lakeland Board of Trustees and the chair of the Movers & Shakers organizing committee. “In nine years, Movers & Shakers has raised more than $1.9 million for Lakeland and more than 30 nonprofit organizations. We could not do this event without strong community support and volunteer interest. These people join our celebrities, local companies and our guests who give financially to make this evening successful.”
Lindsay was also able to select a charity of choice during the competition; Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice. They will be receiving a $5,000 donation due to community support and fundraising efforts. (To donate, please visit: https://goo.gl/izwwG0)
Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice:
Our promise is to provide compassionate care and quality of life to all those in need. That promise, which has remained the foundation of our work since Sharon S. Richardson Community Hospice opened 10 years ago, has allowed us to grow in our community in remarkable ways.
Last year, we served more than 500 patients, their families and loved ones. Hospice care provided in the patient’s home or a care facility increased by 70 percent and we cared for 15 percent more patients and families than in 2015.
Our commitment to community outreach continues to grow and deepen. Thousands of local lives are positively impacted through education on Advance Directives and programs like Grief Support, Pediatric Care, Tuck-In and No One Dies Alone (NODA), a group of trained volunteers who sit with patients in their final hours, which more than doubled in size to 32 in 2016.
The partnership we have established between our community, staff and volunteers has created a positive change in how hospice care is viewed. Through the work done by our volunteers, expert nurses, social workers, hospice aides and bereavement coordinators, “hospice” is now seen as a choice, one that allows families to stay in the comfort of each other during a time of deepest need.
As we start our tenth year of serving the community, we promise to continue being a community partner and giving back to the community that has so richly supported us for the last 10 years.