GAINESVILLE, Texas – The first-ever Dancing With Our Stars competition, hosted by the North Texas Medical Center Foundation, raised $165,630 that will go to the “Heart of NTMC” Campaign for the purchase of a Cardiac CT machine for the hospital. The total included a generous donation from Gainesville resident Mack Barnhart, who donated $25,000 before the event, then matched night-of donations up to an additional $25,000.
The event, which was held this past Thursday at Centennial Hall in Lindsay, featured nine teams dancing for the chance to win a pair of trophies. The prestigious Mirror Ball Trophy went to the team of Nancy Moore and Pam Enderby, who were chosen by the judges as the best dancers. The People’s Choice Trophy, which went to the team who brought in the most votes through donations, was awarded to Emily Lewis and Vince West.
More than $78,000 in votes were cast both before the event and during the competition. The remaining balance came from ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, a silent auction and raffle tickets.
“For this to be our first time to do an event like this, I could not be happier with the end result,” said NTMC Foundation Executive Director Darin Allred. “Everyone who was there had a lot of fun, and we raised a lot of money for the purchase of this much-needed piece of medical equipment that will positively affect healthcare in Cooke County.”
This year’s dancers included Chris McNamara and Trenton Paxton representing Nortex Communications; Bonnie Hess, Michelle Sicking and Iva Walterscheid representing North Texas Medical Center; Lloyd and Mary Reiter representing First State Bank; Cindy Reed and Jocelyn Sievert representing Jim Goldsworthy State Farm Insurance; Emily Lewis and Vince West representing North Central Texas College; Nancy Moore and Pam Enderby; Cody and Mary Secrest representing Safran Seats USA; Jocelyn Archer, Haley Hughes, Taylor Loch and Shea Shaffer representing Trident Process Systems; and Tommy and Paula Moore representing the City of Gainesville.
The employees of Safran Seats USA were the presenting sponsor of the event. Platinum sponsors included The Real Estate Company, Trident Process Systems and Jim Goldsworthy State Farm Insurance. Gold sponsors included Renaissance Care Center and the family of Dr. Norman T. Tompkins and his wife Carolyn. Silver sponsors included First United Bank, Petroflex, API, Nortex Communications, First State Bank, Tierra Real Estate, 4U Credit Union, Red River Rides, the Weekly News of Cooke County, Cooper’s Copies, Premiere Real Estate Lake Kiowa, LW’s Liquor and Still on the Corner.
“This event would not have been possible without these amazing sponsors,” Allred said. “We appreciate each of them supporting the NTMC Foundation. They all do so much for our community and we cannot thank them enough.”
Planning is already underway for the second-annual event in 2024.
“We sold 410 tickets this year and had a waiting list wanting to get in, so I think the excitement for next year will be off the charts,” Allred said.
Dancing With Our Stars, along with the Halloween Hustle 5K and 10K races held every October, are the two major fundraisers for the NTMC Foundation.
“These events are great ways to raise money for the Foundation,” Allred said, “but we would welcome donations from anyone toward our campaign. A Cardiac CT machine offering the latest 3D technology costs more than $1.5 million. It is equipment that is not currently available anywhere in Cooke County. Heart disease was the leading cause of death in Cooke County from 2016 to 2020. This machine will help diagnose issues early before they become life-changing problems.”
If you would like to donate to the NTMC Foundation and the “Heart of NTMC” Campaign, visit www.ntmcfoundation.org.
