Women's Fund Dancers Have Raised Over $1M in First 7 Seasons

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- The Women's Fund has been in our community for 22 years now.

The nonprofit organization was founded in 2002 and is made up of about 10 to 12 volunteer board members. The Central Minnesota Community Foundation helped the Women's Fund get started and continues to support them.

Executive Director Greta Stark-Kraker says they've awarded $1.6 million through their annual grant round which has three focus areas.

We focus on girls ages 10 to 18, so any programs that help advance those ages, we also work with women experiencing adversity, and we work with elder women.

The Women's Fund also has the Athena Award which celebrates lifetime achievement.

They raise money through personal outreach, an annual appeal, and their biggest and most recognizable event Dancing With Our Stars.

Since it began in 2016, community dancers have raised over $1 million for local nonprofits. Additionally, the Women's Fund has granted over $270,000 to Dancing With Our Stars nonprofits.

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This year's event is on Monday, June 10th at the College of St. Benedict. The social hour starts at 5:00 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:00 p.m.

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Tickets are $90 each and can be bought online.

Sixty-percent of the dancer's final score is based on fundraising totals, and 40 percent is based on their dancing performance.

DWOS

This Year’s Dancers

Community Star Michelle Meier with Arbor Hair Studio will dance with pro Tuan (David) Le to benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation for its Camp Oasis Summer Program for Girls. Click here to donate
Community Star Cathy Elness with the St. Cloud Area YMCA will dance with pro Jeff Ringer to benefit the YMCA’s Girls ‘Safety Around Water’ (SAW) program. Click here to donate
Community Star Debra Leigh with the St. Cloud Technical and Community College will dance with pro Lee Morgan for Women’s Leadership Pathways at the SCTCC Multicultural Center. Click here to donate
Community Star Steve Jones with the United Way of Central Minnesota will dance with pro Janell Missler to benefit the United Way’s Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for Girls. Click here to donate
Community Star Jim Maurice with WJON will dance with pro Lisa Lawson to benefit Quiet Oaks Hospice House for its Quiet Oaks Supporting Women program. Click here to donate
Community Star Brady DeGagne with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central MN will dance with pro Rachel Trout to benefit the Club’s SMART Girls program. Click here to donate