On March 18, Livingston County Catholic Charities (LCCC) held its13th annual fundraiser “Salute to the Stars and Celebrity Dance Competition" at Crystal Gardens in Howell. Four teams competed in the judged competition for the overall dance trophy. They were: Team #1, Dr. Terry and Kate Braciszewski; Team #2, Renee and Ed Chodkowski; Team #3, Karen Perez and Carlos Garza; and Team #4, Tracy Patterson and Branden Cathey.
Judges for the dance competition were: Maria Stuart, Mona Shand, Sheriff Mike Murphy and Crystal Thoman. Each team performed an exciting dance style and routine their coaches helped choreograph. The winners were Team #2, Renee and Ed Chodkowski with a fun character theme dance style performed to a music mix including “Bad to the Bone” and “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
In addition to the overall dance competition award, a second award “Fan Favorite” was given to the team that raised the most funds through online voting during the weeks leading up to the event, and in-house voting at the event. Team #1, Dr. Terry and Kate Braciszewski took home the “Fan Favorite” award – for the second year in a row. They raised more than $5,000 through voting. The money will help support senior outreach programs that serve homebound and low income seniors in Livingston County.
In total, the fundraiser raised more than $17,000 for Livingston County Catholic Charities programs. A video of the dance competition is available for viewing on LCCC’s Facebook page.