Number of Participants: 800
Hours Donated: 1
Value of Time Served: $6,760
Event Type: Children & Youth
Sport: Dance
Date: January 30, 2020
Location:
Smithtown
NY, USA
About:
The First Ever Stephanie Belli Whisperette Scholarship Memorial Dance Team Festival
On Saturday, January 30th, all members of the community are invited to witness the first ever Stephanie Belli Memorial Dance Team Festival at Smithtown HS West. Thanks to Whisperette Coach Tara Foglia and the Belli family, twenty Kickline teams from across Long Island and New Jersey will perform in honor of Stephanie. Admission for the competition is only five bucks, however raffles, door prizes, food and snacks will be available for purchase throughout the day. Every last dollar of the proceeds raised will go toward the Stephanie Belli Whisperette Scholarship Fund. Entry to the inaugural Stephanie Belli Memorial Dance Team Festival begins at 8 AM. The show starts at 9 AM.
“The outpouring of love has been overwhelming. It is a testament to who Stephanie was. We are receiving donations from former teachers, friends, stores she frequented and they all say the same thing. Stephanie was a beautiful person and deserves to be remembered.” – Coach Tara Foglia, Smithtown HS West Whisperettes
Celebrating the extraordinary Life of Stephanie Belli
Twenty teams throughout Long Island and New Jersey will compete at the Memorial Dance Team Festival, in honor of Stephanie Belli. Each team has choreographed their own routines for the inaugural competition. The Smithtown West Whisperettes will be wearing purple ribbons, as they always do for every home game performance. Residents and businesses are encouraged to donate gift baskets, or bring monetary donations which will go toward the Stephanie Belli Whisperette Scholarship Fund, given annually to two students from each of the high schools.
On July 18th, 2015 four young women’s lives were tragically cut short in a limo accident on Long Island’s east end. Among them was Stephanie Belli. Stephanie was a Smithtown West Whisperette alumni (class of 2010) and a cherished member of our whisperette family. While we, along with her family and friends, mourn her passing we also choose to celebrate her life. Stephanie was always quick with a smile or a hug. She could make any situation seem less daunting and was loyal to all she loved. After graduating she remained close to our program thru facebook messages of luck and visits to our practices and performances. To keep her memory alive the Whisperettes, with the full support of her family, have set up a scholarship fund that will be partially funded thru an annual competition. Our hope is that thru these memorials future Whisperettes will get to know the Stephanie we loved and still get to feel her love and support in return.
This year’s dance festival brought together over 40 teams from the tri-state area, from middle school level thru college. The winners of this year’s scholarships are Meghan Deery (HS West) and Jillian Catalano (HS East).