Area Dancers Donate $12,000 to Local Charities

302 dancers, 20 staff members and 51 parent volunteers from Creative Dance Center’s 6-time World Championship Competition Team, CDC Performing Troupe and CDC Stars donated their time to produce and present the 2015 Winter Benefit Performance. Dancers from all over Northern Virginia train at the Creative Dance Center studios in Chantilly, Ashburn and South Riding. The collaborative event, held on Friday, February 6th at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, raised $12,000.00, funds that will provide much needed support to Northern Virginia community programs.

The old barns on the Paxton Campus in Leesburg are bound for new life. $4,000.00 of the funds raised will help in the building of the new Barns of Paxton Performing Arts Center. The original barns are being deconstructed and rebuilt into a fully accessible updated design for people with disabilities to utilize. “The donation from the local dancers’ Winter Benefit means SO much to the families at Paxton Campus. We look forward to sharing their love of dance with our families in the new theater,” says Meredith Lefforge, Director of Development at Paxton Campus. Paxton provides programming for individuals and families with disabilities.

Another $4,000.00 was donated to the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter (LAWS). Says Nicole Acosta, Executive Director at LAWS, “The dancers have helped hundreds of local families to get back on their feet. We are grateful for the Winter Benefit donations.”

The remaining $4,000.00 was donated to the Malone Foundation scholarship, which honors exceptional eighth grade students.

Due to the growing success of the Winter Benefit Performance, the Institute of Performing Arts for Youth at Creative Dance Center will present the 6th Annual Winter Benefit in 2016. For information on corporate or individual donations, please contact info@IPAyouth.org.

Photo 1 Caption:

On the site of the Barns at Paxton Performing Arts Center project, Brianna Crump and Brooke Weismiller, the 2014 Malone Foundation Award Recipients for Dance, help Creative Dance Center Owner, Ramona Batchelder, present donation checks totaling $12,000 to the three beneficiaries of CDC’s Winter Benefit Performance: the Malone Foundation, LAWS and Paxton.

Photo 2 Caption:

Dance photo: 300 dancers, (ages 4 through 19) from Creative Dance Center’s Competition Team, Performing Troupe and Stars collaborate to raise funds through dance.