Kidney Foundation Fundraiser Dare To Dance Garners Record Funds

  • Friday, October 24, 2014
Pictured Left to Right: Amanda Holmes, owner Pure Barre Chattanooga; Julie Cole, Pure Barre instructor; Heather Webster, executive director Kidney Foundation Chattanooga; and Amanda Browning, development director Kidney Foundation Chattanooga.
Pictured Left to Right: Amanda Holmes, owner Pure Barre Chattanooga; Julie Cole, Pure Barre instructor; Heather Webster, executive director Kidney Foundation Chattanooga; and Amanda Browning, development director Kidney Foundation Chattanooga.

Dare to Dance is the highest earning fundraiser hosted by the Kidney Foundation each year. Modeled after the television show Dancing with the Stars, celebrity dancers select a Kidney Foundation program to raise money in honor of. Judges scores for dancing are also calculated with dollars raised to determine the winners at a gala style event.

When Pure Barre instructor Julie Cole was asked to participate in the Kidney Foundation’s Dare to Dance fundraiser she knew a challenge was ahead.

Julie trained for 5 months to learn two ballroom dance routines to perform at the event that was held on Oct. 11 at the Chattanooga Convention Center. 

"Julie’s Waltz routine was one of the most memorable of the evening. In a special dedication to her cousin who passed away, Julie and her professional partner, Casey Haywood, glided across the dance floor accompanied by a live violin performance. 

"She came back to dazzle the crowd during her Rumba performance where she donned a tutu and began at a ballet barre, an obvious nod to her career as a Pure Barre instructor. Halfway through the performance she shed her ballet bun and tutu to finish the routine with sassy dance steps and amazing lifts," organizers said.

Ms. Cole enlisted the help of her coworkers at Pure Barre Chattanooga to raise awareness and funds for the PEED Renal Screening Program. The PEED Program stands for Providing Education and Early Detection. Free kidney screenings are offered throughout the year to give community members a closer look at the health of their kidneys. Volunteer health care providers are on site to discuss results immediately.  Ms. Cole volunteered at screenings to gain a greater appreciation for the program she selected.  

During her Dare to Dance journey, Ms. Cole was presented with a rare fundraising opportunity. Pure Barre hosts a month of giving through the Pure Give Challenge where Pure Barre studios throughout the country compete to do the most good for local charities. Pure Barre Chattanooga, under the leadership of owner Amanda Holmes, selected the Kidney Foundation as the recipient of their Pure Give efforts. Instructors, friends, and family rallied around Ms. Cole to host several silent auctions and obtain generous donations from the Pure Barre faithful. As a result, Pure Barre Chattanooga was able to present a check to the Kidney Foundation for $5,288.  Pure Barre was awarded with the first ever Dare to Dance Raising the Bar Award. This award was named in their honor to thank corporations who go the extra mile to share the mission of the Kidney Foundation.

"Thanks to this generous donation the Kidney Foundation will be able to offer several PEED screenings this year," officials said.

The next screening is scheduled for Nov. 13 at the Soddy-Daisy Senior Center from 10 a.m.-noon.

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