Through their community dance program, Brooksville’s Brookridge Social Dance Club spreads sunshine throughout the Brookridge Community with its spirited live dance and music events. And now, through a generous donation to two Hernando help agencies who feed hungry children, the club extends its sunshine throughout the county.
Based at the Brookridge Community Club House in Brooksville, the Brookridge Social Dance Club has given a generous donation of $1,000 to People Helping People’s Weekend Blessings program. This program gives approximately 600 bags of food each Friday to school-age children around Hernando County, as a part of this nonprofit 501c3 organization’s mission to help feed hungry people in Hernando. The Brookridge Social Dance Club also donated $1,000 to Operation HeartF.E.L.T. Foundation, Inc, which is a grassroots non-profit backpack program whose mission is to provide nutritious meals to homeless and needy children in Hernando County. Operation HeartF.E.L.T. services on average about 250 students per week who have been identified by the schools as needing their help. HeartF.E.L.T children receive a backpack every Friday or before a holiday break. The backpack contains six meals for the weekend.
“In the dance club, we collect money through a Share the Wealth game of chance we play at every dance,” explained Val Stratton, who oversees ticket sales for the Brookridge Social Dance Club. “Then annually, we give the proceeds to organizations that help the community.”
And this year, the club determined, their funds should be used to feed the community.
“During the pandemic, it’s extremely important to take care of the hungry,” said Stratton.
On Tuesday, March 2, the Brookridge Social Dance Club gave their donation of $1,000 toward People Helping People’s Weekend Blessings program. Becky Burton, PHP Executive Director received the donation from club president Rich Stratton from the Brookridge Social Dance Club.
Although the dance club has put their dance events on temporary pause due to global conditions, they hope to be hitting the dance floor again this June; and until then, their spirit of caring remains in step and in tune.
“We want our members to see the need in the community,” said Val Stratton. “And we want them to see they helped.”
