(Lander, WY) – People boogie’d and woogie’d, got up and got down, and there were mama jama’s both bad and good at last night’s annual Dancing with the Stars Lander & Riverton fundraiser for Community Entry Services.
While the numbers aren’t completely finalized, around $40,000 was raised just in votes for the dancers, and close to $34,000 was raised from donations and dinner ticket sales before the big night, totaling around $74,000 according to the organizer’s estimates.
The event also celebrated two major milestones, with 2025 marking both the 10th year of the fundraiser and the 50th year of Community Entry Services.
For those who don’t know, Community Entry Services is a “leading advocacy and service organization for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and acquired brain injuries in Wyoming,” and each year, the Dancing with the Stars Lander & Riverton event is the organization’s top fundraiser.
After the dinner and opening reception, the evening kicked off with a video produced by Steven McKnight and CES, which profiled CES resident Leland Fighting Bear.
Fighting Bear, a Tribal Songkeeper, was in a serious accident that led to injuries that necessitated the services that CES provides.
“I think this program is a blessing to me… to come here, I feel like a big old family; they don’t treat me differently,” Fighting Bear shared about CES in the video.
Fighting Bear then joined the Whiteplume family dancers on stage as a drummer, while the dancers showcased the Traditional, Fancy, and Jingle Dress styles.
Mike Bailey of Bailey Enterprises, one of the top donors for the evening, later shared a heartfelt account of his son, who was born prematurely and is also a CES success story. He too stressed the importance of the services CES provides in terms of giving residents like his son a sense of normalcy in their lives, and highlighted the sense of community CES gives to residents and their families.
Before the dancers took the stage, event MC and CES CEO Shawn Griffin took a moment to recognize one of the men responsible for the formation of CES, the late Gary Hudson. His wife Linda was in attendance, and she was presented with a gift from CES resident and Lander legend David Dempster.
It was then time for the dancers to show off the routines they had worked so hard on, which ranged from disco/rap mashups, hip-hop and pop classics from the 90’s, Elvis Presley tunes, country hits, dance medleys, and much more; there was literally something for everyone.
This year’s teams included:
- Deidre Meyer & Mindy Clancy, sponsored by Atlantic City Federal Credit Union
- Matt Hartman & Crystal Hastings, sponsored by County Title Inc.
- Ryan Piericini & Joni Lee, sponsored by Palace Pharmacy
- Ian Smith & Maureen Fox, sponsored by Wyoming Community Bank
- Chris Flom & Raine Lesher, sponsored by First Interstate Bank
Each team performed two routines, and in between the acts, attendees were treated to a Home Source Realty-sponsored performance of “When You Get to Asheville” from CWC’s recent production of Bright Star.
h/t Vince Tropea, County 10
The judges, who were sponsored by Teton Therapy and included past competitors Ernie Over, Maycee Manzaneras, and Liam Vincent, then had the tough job of picking a winner.
After some banjo-plucking from one of the CWC Bright Star performers and some intense deliberation, the judges picked their winner, listed below with the other categories.
- Judge’s Choice: Chris and Raine
- People’s Choice: Ian and Maureen
- Client’s Choice: Mindy and Deidre
The evening concluded with a toast from Griffin, who celebrated CES’s 50th Anniversary, the staff he works with on a daily basis, the residents and their families, the volunteers, the community sponsors, and the folks mentioned below who helped make the night happen.
