The Derby Club Gaming Parlor in Gillette recently served as one of the sponsors for an incredible event called “Dancing with the Stars of Gillette,” a fundraiser benefiting the Y.E.S. House Foundation.
Additional sponsors included: L&H Industrial, M&K Oil, S&S Builders, and Cyclone Drilling.
The event, which took place on Oct. 14 at the CAM-PLEX Wyoming Center in Gillette, had an enormous turnout, with countless people showing up to offer their support for the “stars” of Gillette as they gave into a little “Saturday Night Fever,” all to benefit one of Wyoming’s most important nonprofit organizations.
“The Y.E.S. House Foundation has actually held this event annually for the last 16 years,” said Wes Johnson, the Creative Director of “Dancing with the Stars of Gillette.” “This has been the primary fundraiser for the foundation for the last 16 years, and it was a huge success. The theme was ‘Saturday Night Fever,’ which was like a ’70s disco theme.”
Three different couples put on their boogie shoes to compete for the audience’s adulation. Tom and Wendy Balo were sponsored by Cyclone Drilling; Bryan and Kim garland were sponsored by M & K Oil Company; and Jason and Dawn Tystad were sponsored by S&S Builders. All three couples put their hearts and souls into their performances and dazzled the audience with a variety of moves not seen since the days of “Soul Train.”
They also earned a lot of money.
“We raised $216,000 at the event this year,” Johnson stated. “It was the second highest-raised event in its 16-year history.”
The money that was raised on that night went a long way toward, as their website states, “Empowering youth and families to achieve lifelong success.”
They do that in a number of different ways. Y.E.S. stands for “Youth Emergency Services,” and that’s exactly what the nonprofit provides to children and families in Campbell County and beyond.
And that is why The Derby Club, a 307 First company, chooses to sponsor events that raise money for the organization. 307 First is committed to “investing in Wyoming,” and a big part of that includes investing in Wyoming’s young people. In addition to sponsoring the event itself, The Derby Club also hosts the event’s after-party.
“The Derby Club is a fantastic partner with the Y.E.S. House,” Johnson said. “They support the Y.E.S. House and our foundation, and its mission. And historically, since they operate Boot Hill [a local bar/nightclub] above The Derby Club, that is where the event’s after-party usually is.”
After the Dancing with the Stars event, everybody was, naturally, in the mood to dance. They were also in the mood to sing, to laugh, to play and to generally just have a good time. So The Derby Club opened up their doors and, Johnson said, he played DJ and announced that “Dancing with the Gillette Stars were in the house!”
At the after-party in the club, Johnson said that each couple got announced again and then performed their dance again in front of an entirely new, entirely different audience.
“It’s a totally different setting,” he said. “It’s a lot more laid back and the crowd is different, but they all get really into it. Everybody has a really great time.”
The Dancing with the Stars event is always a big hit in the community, and it always results in thousands of dollars being raised for one of Campbell County’s most important organizations. Johnson stated that without the help of The Derby Club, the event wouldn’t be nearly as successful.
“Without the support of the folks at The Derby Club, a lot of this just isn’t possible,” he said. “We’re extremely grateful for their sponsorship and for opening up their doors to us. The Y.E.S. Foundation is an incredible foundation that supports the Y.E.S. House, and the Y.E.S. House provides opportunity and education for the youth in our community; not only locally, but regionally as well. It’s a great cause to support, and it couldn’t happen without The Derby Club and 307 First.”
For more information about the Derby Club, visit its website.
For more information about the Y.E.S. House Foundation, visit its website.
For more information on 307 First, visit its website and follow them on Facebook.
PAID FOR BY 307 FIRST
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