A Decade of Dancing with the STARS: How One Event Can Create a Ripple Effect Across Our Community
Written by Maddie McMurry
Photos provided by The STAR Center
In its earliest days, Dancing with the STARS Presented by Leaders Credit Union was far from the production it is today. What began as a small one-night fundraiser has become one of the city’s most beloved traditions, not only for the money it raises for The Star Center, but for the way it unites the community. Held at the country club and then in smaller spaces, the event featured just a handful of dancers and a much simpler setup. But word spread quickly, and with each passing year, the stage grew bigger, the lights brighter, and the audience larger.
“Dancing with the Stars, the very first year it was held, was a very small affair, just something that originally was going to be a one-time deal… and it’s gone strong for 10 years now,” Jennifer Graves, president of The STAR Center, said. “As far as the look, it has grown bigger and bolder every single year.”
Today, it’s one of the premier events on Jackson’s calendar. For the past 10 years, neighbors, business leaders, and friends set aside comfort zones and nerves to take the stage, all for a cause that touches countless lives.
Although Dancing with the STARS, presented by Leaders Credit Union, is filled with lots of glamour, The STAR Center has always been careful to keep the spotlight on its mission: serving people with disabilities across Tennessee and #crushtheno. STAR stands for Special Technology Access Resource.
“It’s important to have events, but we don’t want to lose who we are for the sake of the event,” Graves said. “A lot of people knew about our event, but they didn’t know us. I want people to know who we are and what we do.”
The STAR Center now provides eight different services, ranging from assistive technology and speech, music, and art therapy, reading clinics, and even employment support. Each year, they help more than 4,600 people across all 95 counties of Tennessee reach their potential. The Star Center takes the community and home that Jackson is to us into all parts of Tennessee to serve those with disabilities.
Over the past decade, the Dancing with the STARS has raised more than $1 million to help sustain and grow those life-changing programs.
“This money allows us to grow into what we’re meant to be. It’s not about making a ton of money — it’s about helping people and standing in the gap,” Graves said.
Each year, a committee is challenged with the task of finding community members to pair up with a dancing professional, who will raise money and deliver a show-stopping performance on the night of the event.
For those who step onto the stage, the experience is nerve-wracking, as many of them have never danced or performed in front of this many people, many of whom are their family and friends. But it is a transformational experience.
“Doing something a little bit scary is good for you,” Seth Rudd, president of The Star Center’s board of directors and a former dancer, said. “Getting in front of my friends and family to do something out of my comfort zone for an organization like the Star Center was important.”
“It was stressful,” Seth laughed. “You think you’re never going to learn the dance, but it all comes together eventually.”
This year’s dancing teams are: College Commage & Hunter Ross, Ashley Wilson & Allen Ervin, Carolyn Cunningham & Frank McMeen, Carol Rothstein & Julian McTizic, Dawn Murphy & Kyle Barron, and Dorthea Spates & Bryce King.
The audience cheers, the performers beam, and for one night, everyone is reminded of what can happen when a community comes together with a shared purpose. Beyond the performances and fundraising totals, the deeper impact of Dancing with the STARS is how it strengthens the fabric of the community itself.
“This is the best of Jackson — homegrown people putting themselves out there to raise money for a nonprofit. You don’t see this everywhere,” Graves said. “The people of Jackson have been so generous to us through the years, and we’re grateful every day.”
The work funded by the event changes lives in ways that ripple across the city. This money helps those with disabilities to receive jobs at local businesses and create a home for themselves in Jackson and across the state of Tennessee.
“When people get jobs, when people are included, when people are given a chance — that’s what makes Jackson better, and that’s what makes Jackson home,” Graves said.
As the STAR Center celebrates ten years of Dancing with the STARS, The Star Center continues to dream bigger while staying rooted in their mission. The challenge is keeping the event fresh each year while ensuring the focus never shifts from the people they serve.
The generosity of sponsors, the roar of the crowd, and the joy of seeing familiar faces under the lights all combine to create something uniquely Jackson. It’s more than just entertainment, it’s a reminder of the goodness found in a community that shows up for one another.
If you would like to be involved in Dancing with the STARS, presented by Leaders Credit Union, this year, there are still individual tickets for sale and a limited number of table sponsorships, as well as opportunities to volunteer with set up and working the event.