STUART — Eight community members will take the stage Sept. 26 for the 15th annual Dancing with the Martin Stars, a fundraiser for the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition.
The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Lyric Theatre in Stuart. The dancers have spent months rehearsing and working with professional dance partners as they prepare to compete in styles including the mambo, cha-cha and waltz.
Martin County Healthy Start CEO Samantha Suffich said the event combines a competition with the organization's fundraising efforts.
"This event is always great fun for everyone involved," Suffich said. "The dancers are amazing, and their fans in the audience make the excitement contagious. But the event also has a very serious purpose: to raise funds to support our work."
The coalition provides prenatal programs and is working to create the Treasure Coast Maternity Center, a community-based birthing center in Martin County. Suffich said the organization is also responding to additional challenges facing expectant mothers following the closure of the area's nearest labor and delivery hospital unit last year.
The money raised by the dancers will support the coalition's prenatal programs, including its MOM Mobile, which provides prenatal care in vulnerable neighborhoods. It also will support the coalition's campaign for the proposed maternity center.
"The funds our dancers raise will support our ongoing prenatal programs, including our MOM Mobile that takes prenatal care into vulnerable neighborhoods. They will also help us move forward on our campaign for the Treasure Coast Maternity Center," Suffich said.
This year's competitors and their professional partners are Michelle Hance with Isabel Lowe, Laurie Laramie with Daniel Elhaddad, Brooke Lewis with Brian Spector, Kalista Kaplan with Antonio Torres, Dr. Michelle Massa with Chris Waterman, Zac Rockefeller with Emily Matos, Pete Lashenka with Marianella Tobar, and Michael Sihvola with Daisy Krakowiak-Wiebe.
A leaderboard on the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition website tracks each dancer's progress toward individual fundraising goals. The overall fundraising goal for the event is $200,000.
"We're in awe of the energy and commitment that every dancer has brought to the challenge," Suffich said. "We encourage everyone to get behind them, enjoy the show, and support maternity care in Martin County."
Major sponsors for the 2026 event include Shaun & Paul Feinsinger, Bob Saxon, Jensen Beach High School Drama, The Scoop, Ross Earle Bonan Ensor & Carrigan PA, Treasure Coast Ashley Capital, Closets by Design of Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, RE/MAX of Stuart, Paul J. Feinsinger, CPA, CFPA, Florida Power & Light, and Culver's.
Tickets are available through the Lyric Theatre. Donations to support individual dancers also can be made through the event's fundraising page.