A Commack dancer's Dance-A-Thon fundraiser raised more than $3,000 for a Long-Island-based charity helping disabled youth.
Chelsea Strickland, 13, raised $3,000 for the Theresa Foundation through her bat mitvah project, the at Temple Beth El on July 15. More than 30 dancers got their groove on for three hours to raise money to help special needs children.
Funds were also raised through a number of raffle prizes donated by Israeloff Trattner, an accounting firm, and Cactus Salons.
All the money raised will donated to the Theresa Foundation, a nonprofit organization based in Long Beach that hat benefits children with special needs and fosters each child's unique ablity through direct support and programs focusing on the art, music and dance.
Strickland is a passionate young dancer who has been taking classes through Chorus Line Dance Studios in St. James for over 10 years. In preparing for her bat mitvah, a rite of passage marking transition from a girl to a woman in the Jewish community, the Commack dancer wanted to raise for a cause close to her heart.
Strickland's younger brother has an autism spectrum disorder, which led her to discover the Theresa Foundation.
Chelsea volunteered with Theresa Foundation earlier this spring in order to to see and understand the scope of their mission. She helped at a Respit - a weekend program where families can drop off special needs childrens for structured activities with their peers.
