Summer is unofficially over but the ballroom is still heating up as eight prominent local personalities gear up for the 2023 Boca Ballroom Battle on Saturday, Sept. 23 at The Boca Raton at 6 p.m.
Some people swear it’s the party of the year in Boca, as dancers are paired with Fred Astaire professionals to learn a choreographed dance that will be performed in front of 800 people in the Grand Ballroom of The Boca Raton. This is not for the faint of heart, as most of the dancers over the years will readily admit this is about one gazillion miles out of their comfort zones. But they do it anyway—to raise scholarship money for the highly regarded George Snow Scholarship Fund.
The charity started more than 40 years ago in homage to the late George Snow, a teacher and Boca developer who lost his life in a helicopter accident in the Bahamas. Run as a family organization and led by son Tim Snow, the Fund awards scholarships and financial aid to deserving students who would otherwise not be able to attend college. In 1982, the Fund’s first year, scholarships were awarded to three students, totaling $8,000. In 2021, more than $2.2 million in scholarships and support services were given to more than 234 deserving scholars.
One of Boca Raton’s most respected charities with deep roots throughout the community, this fundraiser is always a hit—and everyone goes. This year’s intrepid dancers are: Brad Winstead, Chief Executive Officer, Casa de Montecristo; Shoshana Davidowitz, Education Director, Lake Worth Playhouse; Dr. Patricio Espinosa, Chief of Neurology & Institute Director, Espinosa Neuroscience Institute; Caroline Johnson, Founding Partner, Johnson Ritchey Family Law Firm; Lawrence Levy, President & CEO, Levy & Associates, Inc.; Danielle Rosse, Owner, Oceans 234; Jamie Sauer, Realtor, Lang Realty and former president, Junior League of Boca Raton and Rick Versace, President & CEO, A1A Limo.
The event is co-chaired this year by Andrea Virgin and Tracey McCutcheon Ross, and the list of sponsors reads like a who’s who of Boca philanthropy and business. We hear there is already a waiting list but give it a shot; contact Laura Gilli at LGilli@scholarship.org or call her at 561/347-6799. For more information about the Boca Ballroom Battle, click here.
