Plymouth Housing Group Gets a Leg up on Providing Homeless Housing with Newly Launched Fund-Raising Event, Seattle Dances!

SEATTLE -- Following a successful, three-year fundraising event partnership with Seattle Hotel Association, Plymouth Housing Group announced today it will launch a signature fundraiser to uphold its supportive housing programs for Seattle's chronically homeless people. On March 13, 2010, Plymouth will introduce Seattle Dances!, a festive dinner, auction and local celebrity dance competition catered by Kaspar's and held at Fremont Studios.

Inspired by America's most popular reality TV dance show, "Dancing with the Stars," Seattle Dances! features eight Seattle area luminaries who will train and dance with professional partners from the Century Ballroom. The audience will "vote" for their favorites with monetary pledges, and there will be prizes for the most money raised and the best dance performance. Already confirmed to dance are KING5 news co-anchor, Joyce Taylor, Cathi Hatch, founder of ZINO Society, Chef Kathy Casey of Kathy Casey, Inc, Calidora Skin Clinic Chief Executive Officer Colette Courtion, Paul Lambros, Executive Director, Plymouth Housing Group, and Michelle Foreman-Barnet, President, Columbia West Properties.

"We're honored to have these community leaders make such a strong commitment to help end homelessness," said Lambros. "Seattle Dances! will be a fun and engaging way for the audience to respond to our dancing luminaries, who are putting their moves and passion out there for a good cause."

Hallie Kuperman, Century Ballroom owner, will supply the professional dance instructors. The evening's emcee will be Puget Sound Business Journal contributing writer Patti Payne. Well-known, local auctioneer Sharon Friel will round out the program.

Local celebrity judges in the performing arts, such as Peter Boal, artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Nicole Vogel, publisher of Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, will vote during the event for the Judges' Choice Award, awarded to the team that gives the best dance performance. A People's Choice Award will go to the dancing team that raises the most money during the event. Starting in January, the general public will be able to vote (via monetary donations) online. Updates on the event will follow as the date nears.

Plymouth Housing Group works to eliminate homelessness and stabilize homeless and very low-income people in housing by preserving, developing and operating safe, decent affordable housing and by providing opportunities for homeless and very low-income people to improve their lives. Learn more at www.plymouthhousing.org.