SOCIAL LIGHTS/SALLY GERAK Detroit’s Stars competition. For the first time, thanks to dance advocate/philanthropist Maggie Allesee’s suggestion, in addition to a winner being decided by the number of dollars he/she raised in DHS donations, another winner was decided by a panel of judges. Their task was far from simple but decide they did and Sharon Madison Polk won their nod for Best Performance. Amateur dance competitor Charlene Proctor and Judie Goodman had enthusiastic fan clubs in attendance but the dancer who garnered the most dollars was Nedda Shayota. The voting raised nearly $50,000, up from $19,000 the first year when Nancy Smith was the winner. Under the chairmanship of Lauren Rakolta and Karla Hall the elegant party netted $225,000.
DHS Dancing with the Stars
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2011 Kidney Ball Some 700 guests attended the 2011 Annual Kidney Ball at the MGM Grand. The festive gala, with its Motown Magic theme, always attracts lots of people because, unfortunately, lots of people know someone who is affected by kidney disease. For example, the event co-chair Myra Moreland, who was the surprise recipient of the Cindy Hoglund Shannon award for her commitment to the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan’s mission. Moreland was Shannon’s Birmingham neighbor when their children, Drew Shannon and Laynie Moreland, were young and they became fast friends. Drew’s kidney disease, and subsequent transplant, drew both moms into the NKFM community. “This really means a lot to me,” admitted Moreland when she accepted the award with her daughter at her side. Other highlights of the soiree included the video spotlighting the NKFM camp for kids with kidney disease, auctions and dancing to the Jerry Ross band. The party raised more than $500,000. This will help NKFM improve the quality of life for those living with kidney disease. The need for services is dramatized by this fact Michigan residents awaiting a kidney transplant number 2,379. This compares to the next largest category - 347 awaiting a liver transplant.
5 1. Event co-chairs Karla Hall (left) of Detroit and Lauren Rakolta of Birmingham. 2. Scott (left) & committee member Lynn Sirich of Birmingham with event co-chair Suzanne Germack Federickson and her husband Greg of Grosse Pointe. 3. Pam Good of Birmingham and Jack Krasula of Bloomfield. 4. Paul (left) & Mary Glantz of Lake Angelus with Tom & Charlene Proctor and their son Jason of Bloomfield. 5. Katie Proctor (left) of Bloomfield, Veronica Chelko of South Bend, IN, Kathy McWilliams of Birmingham and Kimberly McWilliams of Farmington Hills. 6. Frank & committee member Elyse Germack of Birmingham. 7. Brad (left) & Val Ahlgren with Maria and Bill Roberts of Bloomfield. 8. Dancer WXYZ’s Erin Nicole (center) with her parents Debbie & Mark Brolley of Beverly Hills. 9. Rev. Dr. Charlene Proctor of Bloomfield and her partner Blake Kish. 10. Nedda Shayota of Bloomfield and her partner Donald Westphal.
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DOWNTOWN
Women of Tomorrow Holiday Party Since October, 2011 there’s been a new kid on the block – Women of Tomorrow, a mentoring and scholarship program for girls (www.womenoftomorrow.org). It was founded in south Florida by Emmy Award-winning tele02.12