Sand & Sea Ball Raises $45K For Malibu Dance Program

SANTA MONICA, CA — A gala and dance competition held last month raised $45,000 for the Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation, the organization announced this week.

About 200 people attended the Sand & Sea Ball on May 21 at the Loews Sana Monica Beach Hotel, according to the SMMEF. The event featured six local notables, such as Santa Monica-Malibu Unified Superintendent Ben Drati, Santa Monica Police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks and Santa Monica Fire Chief Bill Walker, competing for the Mirror Ball in a competition modeled after "Dancing with the Stars."

Dr. Kimberly Petrick from Kaiser Permanent took home the top prize. Each of the participants was partnered with a profession dancer from Arthur Murray Santa Monica studio, which provided complimentary lessons for the participants to prepare them for the competition.

“The Sand & Sea Ball is a fun and lively community event,” Ed Foundation executive director Linda Greenberg said. “It is an exuberant celebration of dance and music, all in support of incredible arts programs for our students. We are extremely grateful to Kaiser Permanente, Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Arthur Murray Santa Monica, and everyone who made this special evening possible.”

The Santa Monica-Malibu Education Foundation funds arts education, instructional assistants and enrichment grants for schools in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. The proceeds from this event will support a ballroom dance program for fifth graders and other arts programs. Students from the program escorted guests into the Ball and started off the evening with a dance showcase.

Photo courtesy of the SMMEF