2019 May Colony Magazine

Photo by Luke Phillips
10th Annual Event Raises $170K for Local Nonprofits
By Mark Diaz
Dancing With Our Stars co-emcee Joel
Mason performs as Marty McFly from
"Back to the Future." Photo by Luke Phillips
This year marked the Friends of the
Atascadero Library’s tenth annual
Dancing with Our Stars celebration
and it’s come a long way baby.
DWOS coordinator Jeannie Malik said that
the event’s first year raised $25,000 to fund
the new library, a far cry from the $250,000
it garnered this year. Since its inception, the
production has raised a total of $989,000.
“Where we started in 2010,” Malik said,
“with no stage, it was dark. We had one
dancer that rode a bicycle up on [stage], that
was Keith Schmidt.”
This year, dancers sailed across a three-foot
raised custom made stage under professional
lighting to the beat of music from a hired DJ.
For 2019, the pageant looked back to the
80s, featuring music from Huey Lewis and
the News, ZZ Top and Madonna. Mayor
Steve Martin co-emceed the festivities with
professional performer Joel Mason, who took
time off his current rock/comedy production
”Tribute Schmibute.” Along the lines of the
80s theme, the two showmen dressed as Doc
and Marty from “Back to the Future.”
DWOS began in 2009 when FOAL decided
Atascadero needed a bigger library and
proposed to move the facility from its 7,000
square-foot location to a new 22,000 squarefoot
building. The move would cost approximately
$8 million. Fortunately, San Luis Obispo
County agreed to foot half the bill along
with maintaining and staffing the new location.
Even with the county’s help, raising millions
of dollars in a small town of 28,000 was
not an easy task, especially given the fact the
national economy was digging its way out of
the Great Recession.
Malik made clear that the fundraiser is not
all about money but it is a great opportunity
to bring people together as well as raise awareness
for nonprofits and their volunteers who
sacrifice their time and energy for the betterment
of the community. Now that the library
is in its new location, the event continues on to
help not-for-profit organizations in northern
SLO County.
“What keeps me going is the people,”
Malik said. “I love my people. I mean,
we’re just family.”
This year’s dancers, supporting their nonprofits,
were Susan Funk who danced with
Aaron Avila for American Association of
University Women, Tom Butler who demonstrated
his swing skills for Atascadero Greyhound
Foundation, Jan Lynch who spun an
east coast swing with Charlie Bradley for the
Atascadero Kiwanis Club, Steffi Ketzler who
sambaed with pro dancer Justin McMillan for
ECHO, and Karen McNamara who did her
two-step for the Atascadero Printery Foundation.
Atascadero Mayor Heather Moreno
and Deputy City Manager Terrie Banish
also made the FOAL proud with their performances.
Each dancer raised money for the organization
they represented. Malik said that
FOAL’s dancers also raise money to help recoup
the cost for DWOS. She also wanted to
dispel idea that ticket sales cover the cost of
the production.
The winners of the event were the
Atascadero Greyhound Foundation, Kiwanis
Club and the Printery Foundation. Justin
McMillian received the coveted Good Sport
Award for answering the call at the last
38 | colonymagazine.com Colony Magazine, May 2019