Yuma- May 29th, 2009 by Rob Hughes Dancing With The Stars has come to the Imperial Valley! A charity fundraiser modeled after the famous
TV show was held tonight to raise money for scholarships. The Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program hosted their 2nd annual Dancing With The Stars Gala at Holtville's Barbara Worth Resort. Elected officials, business leaders, and education supporters all came out to show their support for aspiring college students. In this difficult economy, college might be a distant dream for some high school students. Efrain Silva, President of the Imperial Valley Regional Occupational Program says the 2nd Annual Dancing With The Stars Gala is designed to make that dream a reality. “It's an event modeled after the famous show Dancing With the Stars, where we have local celebrities that have been practicing with a dance coach for a couple of months, we have an actual competition here tonight with judges.” Those celebrities included local education and business leaders who put their best foot forward on the dance floor, in front of a sold-out crowd featuring over 500 guests who came out to show their support. “The primary objective of this is to raise funds for scholarships money, and IVROP community foundation has awarded over $60,000 in scholarships so we're very proud of that.” Silva says the event took a lot of time and effort, but several people pitched help to make it a success two years in a row, and every minute spent preparing this event was more than worth it. “It's so much work, but we're very fortunate to have a very supportive staff with IVROP, the community has come together, and when you make it enjoyable and fun, people come, this is what we have here tonight.” The dinner and dance competition raised $12,000 dollars last year, and event organizers are confident this year they're going to shatter that record.