From tap and swing to almost every style in between, area doctors showed their best dance moves Saturday evening to help raise funds for Couchiching Jubilee House.
The first-ever Dancing with the Docs event at Hawk Ridge Golf Club featured eight doctors while raising nearly $43,000 for the organization that strives to help women improve their quality of life through a program of individualized support and transition housing.
“I think judging by the turnout and the people participating it was a very successful event,” said Dr. Bill Tillmann, who danced the twist to Sam Cooke’s classic Twistin’ the Night Away.
Tillmann, along with the seven other doctors and their accompanying dance partners, wowed the capacity crowd as well as the three-member judging panel featuring Orillia Mayor Steve Clarke, Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop, and former dean of Georgian College’s Orillia campus Mary O’Farrell Bowers.
“It was awesome and the feeling was amazing,” Couchiching Jubilee House development coordinator Courtney Willis said. “There was great energy out there. We had ballroom, Bollywood, tap, jazz, the Charleston and hip-hop.”
The doctors, who were paired up with skilled dancers from within the community including the Lakehead Dance Team and Tapps Performing Arts, each selected their own dance genre to compete.
Dr. Kimberley Perryman and her partner wowed the audience with their tap performance to Singin’ In the Rain, capturing the fan favourite award, while Dr. Jess Green and her partner won the judges' Mirror Ball trophy.
Other doctors participating included Allison McFarlane, Anjana Chawla, Kristen Farn, Howard Bloom and Leo Lam.
Willis said organizers were taken aback by the response since they weren’t sure what to expect in terms of fundraising or community interest.
While Tillman garnered the most money in supporter pledges ($4,100), organizers were presented with a cheque for $38,000 Saturday, a sum that was complemented by additional pledges to bring the grand total to $43,000.
“Our goal was $30,000,” Willis said, noting the fundraising environment in Orillia is very competitive these days with both the Lighthouse Soup Kitchen and Shelter and Green Haven Shelter for Women in the midst of major fundraising building campaigns.
“This is a huge deal for Couchiching Jubilee House. We’ve kind of been a little too quiet, which is one of the reasons we decided to launch a new event.”
And with the first instalment now behind them, organizers are already looking ahead to next year.
“We had doctors approaching us last night asking to participate next year,” Willis said. “Georgian College also has a list of professors that want to be involved.”
