The 11th Montgomery County Youth Service Bureau’s Dancing with the Montgomery County Stars fundraiser was another huge success. The evening of great dancing and a delicious dinner ended with distributing the hard-earned awards.
The People’s Choice Awards are the dancing awards voted by the audience. The 2026 People’s Choice Champion is the team of Makenzie Miles and Matt Allen.
“I’m incredibly honored to have been named the People’s Choice Champion for Dancing with the Montgomery County Stars,” said Miles, the Star of the couple. “This experience was about so much more than dancing — it was about coming together as a community to support the amazing work being done for the youth of Montgomery County through the Youth Service Bureau. I’m so grateful to YSB for asking me to be part of such a meaningful event, and I want to sincerely thank every single person who voted, donated, cheered us on, shared our posts, sent encouraging messages, and supported us along the way. The love and support from this community has been overwhelming in the best way. A huge thank you also goes to my incredible dance partner, Matt Allen, for putting in the hard work, bringing the energy, and making this such a fun and unforgettable experience. We had an absolute blast. Montgomery County truly showed up for this event, and I’m proud to be part of a community that rallies together to make a difference.”
Her pro, Matt Allen, was appreciate of the support they received.
“I am so grateful for the opportunity to have been involved with the Montgomery County YSB for the last three years,” he said. “The people that do some of the most important and valuable work in our community deserve and need our support and I am proud to be part of it. Thank you to the awesome people who came out to support us and vote Makenzie and I the people’s choice champion for this year. It truly is a blessing to know that people are enjoying what we put together.
“Big shout out to Makenzie Miles for her hard work and dedication to being literally beat up in the name of charity. She was willing to take on any challenge I threw at her and suffered the bumps and bruises to make it happen. She is a gem. One special note to our spouses for dealing with the time away from them. This takes more work than you would think and it’s hard on them as well. Same goes for all of the other pros and stars. Everyone works hard to make it a special and profitable event.”
The People’s Choice runner-up is the team of Bob Ryker and Blair Nichols.
The fundraising awards reflect the amount of funds raised for the YSB through the selling of sponsorships and tickets, the solicitation of silent auction donations and cash donations. The 2026 Fundraising Champion is the team of Ryker and Nichols. They raised $29,632.
“Taking home first in fundraising with over $29,000 raised means more to me than any trophy ever could,” Ryker said. “Seeing our community rally behind this cause was incredible, and finishing second in People’s Choice just made the experience even more special. The support from our family, friends, sponsors, and community was overwhelming in the best way possible. Winning the fundraising title wasn’t just about us, it showed how much people care about making a difference together.
“Blair was absolutely amazing through this whole process. The patience, energy, and passion she brought to every single practice was unbelievable. She made something way outside my comfort zone into one of the most fun experiences I’ve ever had. I’ve coached Blair for years, but getting to see her passion for dance up close gave me a whole new level of respect for her. She worked so hard and deserved every bit of recognition she got. I may have finished second on the dance floor, but with Blair as my partner, I felt like we won every time we walked out there.”
Miles and Allen earned second place in fundraising with $15,211 raised. Third place went to Angela Vicari and Georgia Taylor for raising $7,137.
The Judges’ awards were voted on by the five judges at the event: the Honorable Daniel Petrie, the Honorable Darren Chadd and Scott Voliva. Caryn Heisel and Sandy Scheller became judges by winning an auction for their seat at the judges’ table.
Awards include: Michael Schoen and Katie Wallace, Most Charismatic Dance; Jacob Szumski and Ashley Clute, Most Creative Dance; Lisa Manning and Kaylynn Keedy Ranspach, Most Uplifting Dance; Peri McClaskey and Georgia Taylor, Most Daring Dance; Miles and Allen, Most Engaging Dance; Ryker and Nichols, Most Dynamic Dance; Ian Markon and Abby Sayler, Most Captivating Dance; Angela Vicari and Georgia Taylor, Most Original Dance; Lincoln Kyle and Jessyca South, Most Imaginative Dance; and Adam Geason and Maddy Combs, Most Artistic Dance.
“We are so grateful for the support of the community, including all of our sponsors, especially our Title Sponsor C&F Fabricating, all the people who attended and certainly all of the dancers who put in the time and effort to make this such a successful event,” said Karen Branch, executive director of the Youth Service Bureau. “We can never say thank you enough to everybody who helps us put on this event.”
To learn more about the YSB, visit their webpage at www.mcysb.org or find the agency on Facebook. Contact Jane Christophersen at 362-0694,104 for more information.
