Roanoke Valley celebrities to dance for cause [The Roanoke Times, Va.]

Oct. 31--The third annual "Dancing With The Valley Stars," which benefits the area's only secure shelter for survivors of intimate partner and domestic violence, is one weekend away.

Eleven Roanoke Valley personalities will glide, hip-hop or tango their way across the dance floor Nov. 9 at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in the contest to raise operating funds for the Salvation Army'sTurning Point, which has been around since 1986 and can house up to 60 women and children at a time.

Last year's dancing competition raised about $30,000 for the shelter, with about $11,000 of that coming in through the dancers' red Salvation Army kettles.

Randy Nicely of Valley Bank raised the most money and shared the People's Choice honors with retired educator Gloria Randolph-King as the top entertainers.

They will defend their titles, and several dance instructors from the two previous events also will be on hand.

Repeat instructors Dave and Donna Spangler, alias the Dancing Duo; Sammi Rader, who danced with Nicely last year; Joe Bryant and Macy Ware have been joined by Julie Arthur, Keith Miller, Edgar Ornelas and Ryan Ramos in teaching the stars.

Al and Jill Elliott and the AJ Soulsteppers kick off the 7 p.m. event with line dancing.

Rob Ruthenberg, program director for 101.5 the Valley's Music Place, is the event's emcee, and Kingdom Life Ministries International's Sounds of Life Choir will lead in the stars.

Throughout the evening attendees will be able to vote by making donations to the individual red kettles that the 2013 stars, a diverse group, have had since late summer.

In addition to Nicely and Randolph-King, those showcasing their fancy footwork in the third Dancing With The Valley Stars are:

-- Bill Caldwell, chief operations officer for LewisGale Medical Center.

-- Diane Elliot, owner of Local Roots restaurant.

-- Bill Elliot, chairman of Davis H. Elliot Co.

-- Becky Freemal, anchor for WFXR (Channels 21/27).

-- Donald Halliwill, chief financial officer for Carilion Clinic.

-- Kathy Kronau, senior vice president and general counsel for Shenandoah Life Insurance Co.

-- Karen McNew, WSLS (Channel 10) anchor.

-- Tommy Strelka, Roanoke Valley lawyer.

-- Brent Watts, meteorologist for WDBJ (Channel 7).

-- Mike Whiteside, co-owner of Black Dog Salvage.

Tickets are available at valleydancing.com.

Shiloh Baptist Church, at 201 S. Market St. in Salem , is holding its second Job Seminar and Career Fair from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday in its fellowship hall.

The evening will include workshops on first impressions, interviewing and resume writing. Representatives from banking, medical and transportation fields in addition to temporary employment agencies and other industries will be on hand to provide information.

"A number of members from our fellowship found or switched employment" after last year's event, said the Rev. Adrian Dowell, pastor. "It appears to have been successful.

"We look at this as a vital part of our ministry to the community," in light of the job market and the economy, he said.

The event's primary objective is to connect church members and the community with employment opportunities in the Roanoke Valley.

For more information, call the church at 389-0409.

Join the Roanoke Valley SPCA on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for its first Big Purr'ge, a family day and community yard sale.

The sale will feature pet supplies, toys, crates, cages, leashes and clothing. Goodwill Industries of the Valleys also will accept old computers, printers, monitors and cellphones for recycling, and the RVSPCA will offer adoption specials.

The Roanoke Valley SPCA provides animal care, adoption, education and protection services to the Roanoke Valley community.

To learn more about the Big Purr'ge, visit www.rvspca.org.

___

(c)2013 The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.)

Visit The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.) at www.roanoke.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services