Area Rotary Clubs unite efforts for regional domestic abuse support center
For the first time, Rotary Clubs throughout Walworth County are joining forces to help raise funds and awareness for an important cause that affects people of all ages countywide – domestic violence.
Dancing for a New Beginning will be Saturday, March 30, at the Walworth County Fairgrounds’ Activities Center. The proceeds will help fund a county-based support center and shelter for victims of domestic abuse. The event will benefit New Beginnings APFV (formerly the Association for Prevention of Family Violence), a non-profit organization that has been helping victims of violence since 1978.
As regional first responders and social service providers have implored for decades, there is a dire need for a dedicated support center and shelter for those Walworth County residents confronted with the devastation of domestic abuse and its related issues. The Rotary Clubs for Delavan-Darien, Elkhorn, Lake Geneva, Walworth-Fontana and Whitewater are banding together in an all-club project to help the county fill that void through this exciting night of dancing and fundraising.
The fundraiser is modeled after the popular Dancing with Stars television competition and will feature five local celebrities, each dancing with a professional dance partner in support of their hometown Rotary Club.
Dancers participating include: Gregg Kunes of Kunes Country Auto Group for Delavan-Darien; Sara Nichols of Open Arms Free Clinic for Elkhorn; Tom Hartz, mayor of Lake Geneva and owner of Simple Cafe for Lake Geneva’s Rotary; Becky Merwin, Rauland Agency realty legend for Walworth-Fontana; and Cameron Clapper, City of Whitewater Administrator for Whitewater. Several styles of dance will be on display, with many hours of instruction and intense practice donated for the cause.
About the participants
Cameron Clapper is the City of Whitewater Administrator. He is also very involved within multiple groups and charitable organizations within the Whitewater community. He received his Master’s of Public Administration degree and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, in 2005. Formerly of Plainwell, Michigan, he now resides in Whitewater with his wife Michelle and their three children. He is dancing on behalf of the Whitewater Rotary Club.
Becky Merwin is a broker at the Rauland Agency of Walworth and a respected leader in Wisconsin real estate for many years. She was the 2018 President of the Lakes Area Realtors’ Association and continues to serve on their Board of Directors. She is active with a wide variety of charities, and currently serves as President of the Big Foot Fine Arts Foundation in Lake Geneva and on the Wisconsin State Fair Park Board. She and her husband recently celebrated their 50th anniversary and have a son and two grandchildren. They live on a farm in between Lake Geneva and Walworth. She is dancing on behalf of the Walworth-Fontana Rotary Club.
Gregg Kunes is founder and president of Kunes Country Auto Group, headquartered in Delavan, with 16 Midwest dealerships. He is also a partner at Lake Lawn Resort and Geneva Supply Inc. He supports many charities through his work, including food pantries, free clinics and Christian School ministries. He and his family also supported a safe house for the vulnerable in Belize and an orphanage for girls in India. He and his wife live in Fontana and they have seven children and seven grandchildren. He is dancing for the Delavan-Darien Rotary Club.
Sara Nichols is the Executive Director for Open Arms Free Clinic, a volunteer-driven, donor-supported free clinic in Elkhorn which offers medical, dental vision, behavioral health, pharmaceutical and lab services for many hundreds of low-income and uninsured Walworth County residents. She is a native of Green Bay and alum of UW-Madison. She has a master’s degree in public health from Boston University and over 20 years of nonprofit experience. She lives in Williams Bay with her husband and two boys. Sara is the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Elkhorn and is representing that club in the dance benefit.
Tom Hartz is the Mayor of the City of Lake Geneva and the CEO and founding partner of the Simple Food Group in Lake Geneva. He has a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Wisconsin-Madison, with an undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado in Environmental Design. He has been active in many charitable and board service activities, including the Walworth County Housing Authority, the Lake Geneva Police and Fire Commission, the Maryland Avenue Montessori School and READS. Early in his career, he worked as a VISTA volunteer architect in Minneapolis to improve the lives of residents of underserved neighborhood – and has carried that early passion forward in all his work. He and his wife live in Lake Geneva and he will represent the Lake Geneva Rotary Club.
More about the event
The all-volunteer instructors/partners are dance aficionados Jennifer French, Brian Holt, Garrett Volpendesta, Miss Christy and Katherine Simpson. The volunteer dance judges are professionals Evan Knutson, Linda Kouzes and Dale Pizzotola.
The night will also feature performances by regional dance troupes and a post-performance open dance for all attendees to the tunes of the renowned disc jockey and personality DJ Felix, with professional set and sound system by Studio Gear of Milwaukee. Heavy hors d’oeuvres and desserts will be provided by Jeff and Maria Halpin of Elkhorn, and there will be drink ticket/cash bar throughout the evening.
Tickets for this amazing benefit night of competition, open dancing, auction and refreshments are $50 a person for general admission, or buy a table with details on the event website.
Tickets can be purchased (and/or additional donations given) online by clicking here or at the New Beginnings offices in Elkhorn, 735 N. Wisconsin St., and Whitewater, 143 W. Main St., Chamber of Commerce offices in the respective club towns, or through the local Rotary Clubs.
For more information, call Rotary Club of Elkhorn President Dawn Heath at 262-374-1491.
New Beginnings APFV announced in fall 2017 its plan to build a support center and shelter in the year 2020 to provide emergency housing, legal advocacy, safety planning, counseling and support groups for survivors of domestic abuse throughout Walworth County.
