Page 28 - Waterways_Feb_2019

SOCIAL SCENE

Pas de Deux

FOR GOOD

Austin Celebs Bust a Move for Children’s Agency

For a dozen years respected Austinites have put their
reputations on the line—and on the dance floor—all for
Travis County kids in crisis.
The 12th Annual Dancing with the Star Austin com-
petition took place on the first day of the 12th month
Ronda Gray, Mindy Bakker Allie Jones, Shawn Cirkiel
of 2018. More than 800 people gathered in the Grand
Ballroom at the JW Marriott Austin hotel to cheer on 12
dance couples. The prize? A fantastic trophy complete
with a glittery mirror ball along with the pride of knowing
they helped raise more than $1.3 million as well as aware-
ness for the Center for Child Protection, the nonprofit
organization that assists Travis County children who are
suspected victims of neglect and abuse and children
who have witnessed violent crimes.
Singer-songwriter Kendall Beard McMinn and her
partner, professional dancer Tobi Kretschmer, claimed the Glenn Ball, Holly Mills-Gardner Angela Norton, Mary Munoz
title of 2018 Dancing with the Stars Austin Champions
with their “A Little Party” routine. Coming in second were
fitness instructor and advocate Caprice Richards and her
professional partner, Albert Tailleur. Third place went to
NFL retired strong safety Aaron Williams and his profes-
sional partner, Azucena Perez.
TV personality Holly Mills-Gardner and choreographer
Glenn Ball served as emcees for the evening’s festivities.
Being placed in the difficult position of choosing a winner
for the competition were local celebrity judges Brad Caption TK Venus and Bill Strawn
Caprice Richards, Albert Tailleur
Booker, Sara Osburn and Alex Franco, the hosts of Mix
94.7’s morning show.
No charity gala would be complete without a live
auction facilitated by the cowboys of Heath Hale Auction-
eers. In honor of the glitzy night, Heath Hale donned a
black sequin jacket that sparkled under the lights as he
and his bid wranglers put on a show.
The winners of the 2018 Luxury Car Raffle were
drawn as part of the evening’s program. The grand prize
was a 2018 Lexus RX 350, provide by Lexus of Austin
and Lakeway. The second prize was a $2,500 gift card
to HEB, just in time for shopping for holiday feasts and
celebrations. Two round-trip tickets on Southwest Airlines
were awarded as the third prize.
The evening ended with a dance party so that all
attendees could take a spin on the dance floor—and
perhaps fantasize about winning the coveted mirror ball
trophy one day.
Diana Gonzalez-Jones, J.R. Martinez David Miller, Marcy Carpenter
26 WATERWAYS | February 2019