Dance Challenge raises $168,000 for Sexual Assault Center
David and Goliath were both winners Saturday night at the seventh annual Scott Logistics Rome Celebrity Dance Challenge. In this case, Goliath was Justin Bruce, a 6-foot-8 behemoth and former football player. Jessica Tucker starred in the role of David, a tiny dance partner who teaches at the Rome Civic Ballet.
The dance competition has become an annual favorite event in Rome, raising funds for the Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia
Attorney Chris Jackson, who was battling the legacy of his mother Christa Jackson, winner of the People’s Choice Award in the 2015 event, raised more than $38,900 to easi l y win t he People’s Choice Award. His dance partner was Tahnya Jones. “I’m speechless t hat t he community would get behind us this way,” Jackson said.
The big winner though, was the Sexual Assault Center, which netted more than $168,000 from the event.
The giant Bruce, a learning specialist at Darlington School and former Pepperell athlete, with the diminutive Tucker wowed the crowd with a hip hop dance rout i ne t hat i ncluded a lengthy segment busting moves to Bruno Mars “Uptown Funk. “The cardio aspect i s what I couldn’t get used to, it was so much energy in such a short period time,” Bruce said.
Tucker said there were certain times they didn’t have air conditioning in the studio during rehearsals. “We sweated it out and he really did great.”
Runners-up in the judging were Will Pinson and Lacey Pinson, who also had the sell-out crowd at t he City Auditorium howling to M.C. Hammerlike moves to “U Can’t Touch This.”
Sexual Assault Center of Northwest Georgia Executive Director Kim Davis said the event has become critical to the ongoing viability of the Sexual Assault Center. “It does provide a big chunk of the funds for us to continue services, especially the counseling piece. Without the fund raising we can’t provide that at all to our clients,” Davis said. “Government fund- i ng has been pretty steady, but we still have to raise X amount of dollars each year to keep the center open.”
Chip Hood, chairman of the SAC board of directors, said the event has become of the signature event of the community each year. “Everybody looks forward to coming to see it,” Hood said. He said Davis is great at finding grant money to help the center, but without the support of the community the center could not continue to provide the broad range of services that are needed by the clients.
The other teams included:
Brant Evans of Darlington School dancing with his wife, Ashley Evans, also of Darlington School.
Wayne Evans of River City Antique Mall and Evans Construction, dancing with Jessica Cole of Kennesaw State University.
Cpt. Dave Roberson of the Floyd County Sheriff’s Office dancing with Faith Im of Shorter University.
Dr. Kipp Slicker of Harbin Clinic dancing with Hannah Camacho of The Dance Centre.
Elaine Snow, retired Rome Chief of Police, partnered with retired educator Steve St. Clair.
Paige Swiger of SouthEastern Pathology dancing with Chase Tolbert of Darlington School.
Amos Tuck, a natural resources consultant, danced wit h Emily Tumlin of Rome Athletic Club.