Dancing With Our Diamonds 2020

Dancing with our Diamonds is a lighthearted dance competition in which local celebrities’ partner with an adult who is involved in a program supported by The Arc of Greensboro. We love this event that raises money for The Arc by showcasing the talents of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Our FUNdraising event also features some incredible raffle prizes. You can purchase raffle tickets online in addition to your voting. All proceeds go to benefiting The Arc of Greensboro and its programs.

How Can You Get Involved? VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE DANCE TEAM or DANCE TEAMS! Each vote is $5.00. We, of course, encourage you to make a larger donation by voting multiple times as well as bidding on your fantastic raffle items.

See a description of each Dance Team on the Dancers page and come back after August 10th to see our talented dance teams in action. Raffle items and Dance Trophy winners will be announced during our Virtual event on September 10th.

Our action packed event this year will be 35 minutes in length starting on Thursday evening at 7 PM. You can vote and purchase raffle tickets until 8 PM that evening. We will draw the raffle winners as well as tally up the votes to determine our Champion Fundraiser dance team on Friday, September 11th, and let you know the winners via email and FB. Also, all winners will be personally contacted.

Meet The Celebrity Judges

Mr. Allen Broach

Allen Broach served on the board for The Arc of Greensboro including two years a president. Broach is the current president of Touring Theatre and has served in that capacity for more than four years. Perhaps you have heard the name. He was the owner of the Broach Theatre for more than twenty-five years. Stephen Gee, Hall Parish and David Bell operated the Broach Theatre Company and delighted our community with wonderful shows from serious drama to crazy slap-stick humor. He owned and managed Broach & Company, a marketing communications agency for 30 years and now is somewhat retired.

He is the founding publisher and currently publisher emeritus of Triad City Beat, a weekly newspaper covering the best of the triad. He is very excited to serve as one of the judges for this year’s Dancing with our Diamonds.

Rabbi Andy Koren

Rabbi Andy Koren came to Greensboro in 2003 with his wife Michal and their children Avishai and Shiri. As Temple Emanuel’s Associate Rabbi and Director of Religious Education, Rabbi Koren directs many programs which have impacted a generation of our community’s youth. He currently sits on the Board of the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina. Rabbi Koren has led numerous trips to Washington, DC over the years. He has traveled with dozens of teens to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism’s annual L’Taken Social Justice Seminar, bringing them to our nation’s capital to learn about public policy issues, Jewish values, and the importance of advocacy.

Throughout his nearly 30-year career, Rabbi Koren has lent his voice to some of the most critical social justice and civil rights concerns of our times. He has also been the Co-chair of the Greensboro Faith Leaders’ Council (2014-present), convening monthly gatherings of leaders from across the religious spectrum to work on key issues facing our city, region, and state.

Rabbi Koren is a native of North Miami, Florida, a graduate of Tufts University (1988), and was ordained from the Hebrew Union College in 1993. He spent his first 10 years as a Rabbi working with college students. In the summer of 2021, Rabbi Koren will become Temple Emanuel’s Senior Rabbi.

Ms. Tammi Thurm

Tammi Thurm was elected to the Greensboro City Council in 2017 and serves as the Councilwoman for District 5, as well as serving on the Jordan Lake One Water Elected Officials board, the Downtown Greensboro Parks Incorporated board, and the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau board. In addition, she is the Practice Manager at the Hagan Barrett PLLC law firm in Greensboro.

Tammi has been an active member of the Jewish community for many years serving on the Federation Board, the Board of Trustees and Financial Aid committee at B’nai Shalom Day School, a Mitzvah Day project co-captain, a member and President of the Women’s Philanthropy Cabinet Executive Committee, the Federation Budget and Allocations committee and the 2011 Women’s Annual Campaign Chair. She is married to Kevin Thurm and is the proud grandmother of 5!

Ms. Holly Williams

Holly Williams is an on-air personality at Greensboro’s very own Rock 92 and 1075 KZL. When she isn’t featured on the 2 Guys Named Chris Show or hanging out in the studio, she is an instructor of Communication Studies at University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Ms. Mary Lacklen Hohenwarter

Mary Lacklen Hohenwarter has been a resident of Greensboro for most of her life. She has traveled extensively and loves new cultures and foods. She started her first business when only 17 and remains a caterer to this day. As a restauranteur Mary has owned four restaurants, most notably, Bert’s Seafood Grille for 23 years. She was President of the Guilford County Restaurant Association for more years than she can count. She is well known for her volunteerism and some of the projects she spearheaded are:

Community Tables, a project she started 35 years ago, which feeds up to five thousand people in need in our community on Thanksgiving Day.
Mary was Board Chair of Triad Local First and organized their annual fundraising dinner for five years.
Mary helps out with the annual Corks for Kids path a program with Hospice which helps younger adults through the grieving process. She is on the planning committee.
Mary helps with the annual Gala at the Greensboro Children’s Museum and is on the planning committee.
Mary was a co-instructor for the Arc, which was a six-week program to teach students how to prepare simple healthy meals at home so they can live independently.

Awards:

The Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteerism
The City of Greensboro Leadership Award
The Community Foundation Game Changer Award

Meet The EmCee

Meet The DJ

Chad Silber

Chad Silber co-anchors 2 Wants to Know at 5:30 alongside Tanya Rivera and WFMY News 2 at 6 and 11 alongside Julie Luck. He has 11+ years of experience in the television news industry.

Chad joined the WFMY News 2 team in September 2013 as a Reporter. In 2014, Chad was promoted to Weekend Anchor. In 2015, he was promoted to 2 Wants to Know Co-anchor. In 2017, he was promoted to Evening Anchor. Chad knew he wanted to become a journalist when he was in the eighth grade. He went to his first Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field with his dad and noticed all the reporters on the sidelines. His dad says, from that day forward, being a journalist was all he ever wanted to be. Of all the different types of news, Chad enjoys covering politics and natural disasters the most.

Chad danced in our 2018 Dancing on the Diamond even and along with his partner Rebecca DiSandro, won Judges choice!

Jamie Cannady

Due to our change of programming this year to a virtual competition, Jamie’s talent will not be on display. We want to thank him for dedication to this event and hope to see him in action again next year.

Jamie Cannady has been participating in Special Olympics as a member of the Greensboro Wahoos Swim Team for over thirty years, earning numerous medals in backstroke and freestyle events. He is a deacon at First Christian Church, honorary member of the Jaycee Old-timers, and member of the Aktion Club of Greensboro. Jamie works at ArcBarks and Domino’s.

Jamie has served as a DJ for private parties, civic groups, and fund-raising events, including Grimsley High School class reunions, Gateway Education Center proms, Greensboro Shrine Club, Greensboro Jaycee Old-timers, The Arc of Greensboro, The Arc of North Carolina, NCAA Division III National Swimming and Diving Championships, The Human Race, and Greensboro Police Department Special Olympics fundraisers.

The Arc of Greensboro wishes to recognize and thank this year’s Dancing with Our Diamonds Committee members:

Linda Yurko, chair
Sharon DiSandro
Kelly Drew
Kathleen Duckworth
Kathy Kraus
Theresa Lee
Craig Lloyd
Ila Rosenthal
Donna Smith, Event Film Editor
David Mandel, IT liaison

We also wish to thank Francesca & Diego Giffuni for creating and making our Arc masks.

Raffle Prizes

Judith Altman Designs

The beauty of rare vintage finds from around the globe, hand-assembled into one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry Necklace
(value $195)

JUDITH ALTMAN’S WEBSITE

Myrtle Beach Marriott Resort & Spa

2 night/ 3-day Beach vacation
($400 value)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRIZE

Proximity Sustainable Getaway Package

1-night romantic getaway ($369 + tax value + $50 Restaurant gift card)
(Value $419)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRIZE

Great Wolf Lodge

Great Wolf Lodge, Concord, NC – 1-night stay + $100
(Value $500)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRIZE

Greensboro Grasshopper Party Deck

Party deck rental, first pitch opportunity, good for a Sunday thru Wednesday game through the 2021 season. Tickets will be provided for 35 people. First pitch will be on the night of the rental.
($525 value)

CLICK HERE TO VIEW PRIZE