Monday, November 02, 2009
Cheerleaders from 14 Central Texas cheerleading teams and dance troupes whirled, leaped and gamboled for a few hours Sunday afternoon during an exhibition to raise money for charity at Midway Middle School.
The event was hosted by Heart of Texas Cheer and Dance and organized by Cheer for Charity, a nonprofit group that organizes the annual two-hour event to showcase local cheerleading talent and raise money for good causes.
“We want to have a spirit of fun and give back to the community,” said Chelsey Northern, director of Cheer for Charity.
This year’s event brought in about $2,500 for the American Cancer Society, supplementing money the group raised for the cancer charity during the Relay for Life walkathon last month. Each of the roughly 200 cheerleaders present paid $15 to participate. Tickets for spectators cost $5.
Northern emphasized that Cheer for Charity is an exhibition, not a competition. The cheerleaders, from shyly waving kindergartners to polished college acts, were there to show off their routines to friends and family and to benefit a charitable cause.
“It’s a carefree event for the cheerleaders,” Northern said. “There’s no stress of competition.”
Northern, who cheered for six years for Heart of Texas Cheer and Dance, established Cheer for Charity with her mother in 2002. An entertainment publicist in New York City, Northern said she eventually hopes to take her organization nationwide. The charity has raised more than $17,000 for nonprofit groups in the past seven years, she said.
In front of a crowd of about 300 friends and family, the cheerleaders performed a variety of dancing and tumbling routines set to pulsing music.
“It’s all just really a lot of fun,” Midway High cheerleader Lynn Herbst said.
Herbst, 17, has been cheering for 12 years and has been involved with Cheer for Charity since its inception.
“This year was one of our best years,” she said. “We had a lot of talent.”
cwinchester@wacotrib.com
757-5743
Comments
By cameron
Nov 20, 2009 9:47 PM | Link to this
yay go lynn you guys are very good and the money is for a good cause keep up the good work i wonder what will happen when you leave us at the end of the year???
By xstitcher07
Nov 2, 2009 7:33 AM | Link to this
Hooray for this wonderful idea and hooray for raising so much money for such a great cause. This is an example of using your talents and gifts to help others. Wish more people would do the same!
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