Military Veterans Jim Lucas, Dave Carney, and Doug
VanHouten are busier than ever preparing for the upcoming “Dancing With Our
Heroes” event which will benefit The Fisher House Foundation. The Fisher House Foundation builds and
maintains long term residential facilities near military hospitals
nationwide. Fisher House provides a
place to stay free of charge to military families while their loved one
undergoes treatment at a VA medical center. This ranges from the parents of a young soldier with a traumatic brain
injury to the spouse and children of a soldier who has lost a limb in battle to
the wife of a veteran who served in WWII and is living out his final days. The families are provided with all the
comforts of home in a supportive environment so they can be near their loved
one during hospitalization for an illness, disease or injury. For more information on the Friends of Fisher Houses,
visit www.fisherhousect.org. The Friends of
Fisher House CT has promised to raise $3 million for the construction of a Fisher
House on the campus of the VA Healthcare System in West Haven, Connecticut. Once the goal is reached, Fisher House Foundation Inc. will match the funds for
a total of $6 million and construction can begin.
Jim Lucas is a Middletown native who entered the Air
Force in November 1983. Drawing on his background in Civil Engineering, his assignments included bases in Maine, Florida, and Mexico, as well as overseas tours in Japan, Okinawa, Guam, Turkey, Germany, England and deployments to Southwest Asia and Central Asia in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Dave Carney, another military hero from Middletown, served as the Marine Air Group 11 Intelligence officer for over three years. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and served as the Executive Officer of a specialized advisor team which trained and mentored the Iraqi police force of a city in Al Anbar Province. Doug VanHouten, another hero in the upcoming competition, is also from Middletown and served over 24 years in the United States Air Force. His career field was financial management. They all have taken a less traditional approach to help raise funds. They put on their dancing shoes.
On November 10, 2013, Jim, Dave, and Doug will compete as
three of the heroes representing the Middletown Fred Astaire Dance Studios’ “Dancing With Our Heroes” Gala. Kimberly Haidinger, the Middletown and New England Director of the Fred Astaire Dance Studios, and her regional office staff are spear-heading the organization of the Gala. “It is our chance to use something we love, namely dancing, to do something big and show our gratitude for all that the military families have sacrificed for us,” she explains. The Gala will feature a silent auction, a sit-down banquet dinner, general dancing and the “Dancing With Our Heroes” competition. The dance competition will be between military heroes and their professional dance partners and winners will be chosen by celebrity judges and audience voting. Every Fred Astaire Dance Studio in New England is donating at least two instructors and twenty-five dance lessons each to prepare the heroes for the event. There are currently 57 instructors teaching heroes like these three men from Middletown to dance and compete in the Gala.
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The New
England Region of Fred Astaire hopes to raise $200,000 for the Fisher House and the funds will come in part from ticket sales, but also from company sponsorship's, individual donations, audience voting and the proceeds from the silent auction. Tickets are $150 and are available online at www.dancingwithourheroes.com or by calling 860.788.7150.
To help
support the Middletown team and Jim Lucas, Dave Carney, and Doug VanHouten in their efforts to bring a Fisher House to CT go to www.dancingwithourheroes.com
