(Lander, WY) – After months of preparation, planning and practice, and over 2000 (estimated) hours of volunteer work, the 2024 9th Annual Dancing with the Stars Lander & Riverton fundraiser officially took place last night, April 6, and grossed a record-breaking $120,000 for Community Entry Services (CES).
Over 350 guests and more than 400 donors contributed to the event, held at a packed Lander Community Center.
For those who don’t know, Community Entry Services is a “leading advocacy and service organization for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries in Wyoming,” and each year the Dancing with the Stars Lander & Riverton event is the top fundraiser for the organization.
Leading up to the event, about $50,000 was raised in sponsorships and table sales alone, and the rest of the gross total came from donations the night of the event, roughly $70,000.
The entertainment for the evening is always composed of community members brave enough to take the stage, and this year’s dancers included:
- James & Brigett Bunker, sponsored by Bailey Tire and Auto Service
- Alanna Roberts & Liam Vincent, sponsored by Vincent Financial Services
- Crystal Hastings & Tras Pfeifer, sponsored by Wyoming Community Bank
- Lauren & David Heerschap, sponsored by Brunton
- Lynn Ritter & Jonathan Rummel, sponsored by Hayden Outdoors
- Dani & Joe Kluberton, sponsored by High Mountain Seasoning
- Marty Brammer & Katie Lyon, sponsored by BMO
- Raine Lesher & Chris Flom, sponsored by First Interstate Bank
- Matt Hartman & Aubrey Schmerge, sponsored by FRIENDS
Judges for the evening included County 10 and KDLY The Brand’s own Charene the Adventure Queen Herrera, recently retired Riverton Police Department Chief Eric Murphy, and former competitor/HR Coordinator at Westward Heights Chris Dailey.
CES CEO Shawn Griffin once again acted at the main MC extraordinaire for the evening, with floor MC’s Julie Buller and County 10’s Vince Tropea out in the crowd collecting additional donations from attendees throughout the night.
While the whole evening is about nothing but good spirits and camaraderie, it still is a competition at the end of the day, with awards given to People’s Choice, Client’s Choice and Judge’s Choice, which are listed below.
- People’s Choice: Alanna and Liam
- Client’s Choice: Tie between Crystal and Tras, and James and Brigett
- Judge’s Choice: Dani and Joe
In addition to the amazing performances, three moments of the evening stood out, especially in terms of heartfelt, community connection.
The whole purpose of the Dancing with the Stars fundraiser is to benefit Community Entry Services and the residents that make up its ranks, and this year the evening’s featured resident was Sam Coniglio, whose story you can hear about in the video below.
Later on in the evening during the performances, Joe Kulbertin shared that the first song he and Dani would be dancing to, titled “Adios, Mexico,” was actually written by his brother with Asperger’s Syndrome, who will soon be moving to Lander and will most likely utilize aspects of CES services.
The song was beautifully written by Kulbertin’s brother and performed by one of their musician friends, and definitely led to some teary eyes in the crowd.
Before the event had a break between the dancer’s performances, Logan Alley addressed the crowd, and once again nary a dry eye was left after he was done speaking.
Logan was a competitor in 2022 along with his wife Chrissy, who tragically and unexpectedly passed away later that year.
Logan addressed the crowd to speak about his faith in God, and the resilience Chrissy instilled in him to have a positive impact on those around him, an outlook on life that he would later call, “The Chrissy Effect.”
The Chrissy Effect Foundation, was then set up in her honor to help people and families who face overwhelming financial burdens due to medical expenses.
Laughs, tears and cheers in all, it was another successful year for Community Entry Services, especially thanks to each and every donor, sponsor and volunteer.