The stars have aligned, with the new roster of dancers revealed for the 2025 Dancing with the Shuswap Stars gala.
The lineup includes four couples and four family teams that cha-cha chose to take the stage for the annual fundraiser for the Shuswap Hospice Society
"These community-minded volunteers have stepped up to dance in support of this event," a July 9 media release said. "All of them will be putting themselves out of their comfort zone to learn and perform a dance routine in a few short weeks."
The Amateur Couples category features a diverse group of local professionals supporting the Hospice event, including:
• Jason and Trish Schubert – Jason is known as "The Captain" with the Braby Motors sales team, and Trish works with the Shuswap Children's Association.
• Dr. Richard Currie and Alyson Stone – A family and ER doctor, Richard is leaving the scalpel behind to cut a rug with his wife Alyson, who is one of the Hospice Society team members.
• Jent and Michelle Hoekstra – this duo dances together and works together as owner/operators of the North Okanagan and Kamloops Property Guys franchises.
• Mathew Melin and Catherine Parsons – As well as a dance partner, Mathew is also a partner and sales director at Access Precision Machining, while Catherine is a senior advisor at SASCU Credit Union.
New to the gala this year is a category called "All in the Family," with the contestants in each group all related, though organizers hope this "doesn't create any family feuds!" The family contestants include:
• Father-daughter duo Barry and Meaghan Delaney – Barry is president and CEO of SASCU, while Meaghan is a pharmacy assistant and lover of the arts, including singing and theatre.
• Twins Charlotte and Natasha Charlton - the sisters, who own the Pink Cherry café, will see if twinning is winning.
• Marty van der Pauw and daughter Lauren – Marty blooms as part-owner of NIco's Nurseryland, while Lauren is a student at J.L. Jackson Secondary School.
• David and Kelly Murray and Auldin Maxwell – The family trio consists of mother Kelly, her husband David, and son Auldin, a Salmon Arm Secondary School student, Guiness World Record-breaking Jenga stacker, and Hallmark movie star.
Though the gala doesn't take place until Saturday, Nov. 15, at the SASCU Recreation Centre, as the stars' choreography learning starts now, so too do their fundraising efforts. Friends, family and fans can make donations to support their favourite contestants by purchasing star votes for $5, with each counting as one vote.
Advance voting will be combined with voting on the night of the gala to determine the winning dancers. Voting starts now at , where more detailed biographies are also available.
