Mayor Sue McKortoff (second from left) brought a cheque from the Town of Osoyoos on Friday for the Show Group at the Dance Oasis Studio. Receiving the cheque was Sherry Barukoff, who was in charge of fundraising and has a daughter in the program. Some of the girls in the Show Group were on hand for the presentation. The girls are travelling to Disneyland in November where they will perform and take dance classes. They’ve spent more than a year fundraising, but were still short a little bit for their expenses.(Richard McGuire photo)

A $1,000 contribution from the Town of Osoyoos will help the Show Group from Dance Oasis when they travel to Disneyland in mid-November to perform.

Mayor Sue McKortoff visited the studio on Friday to present the cheque to Sherry Berukoff, one of the mothers who has been actively fundraising for the trip.

The girls in the Show Group range in age from eight to 14 and they’ve been working hard on their dancing and fundraising for more than a year, said Berukoff.

The girls fly to Los Angeles on Nov. 13 and they’ll spend a week in California, most of that time at Disneyland.

Their main dance performance has been fully accepted, said Berukoff, adding that the girls are still working on a parade performance.

Additionally, they will meet more than 300 dance students from all over the U.S. and Canada, they’ll have photo shoots and they’ll practice at a major dance studio, among other activities.

They’ll also get a couple of days off, which they’ll spend at Disneyland.

“They deserve this,” said Berukoff. “They have worked hard for over a year, they have muscled their legs and arms to get in there and dance. And they have worked hard fundraising and in community performances. They deserve two days of play.”

The girls have performed their dance routine, Party in the U.S.A., for groups such as the Elks and Kiwanis.

Town council approved the request for funding at the Oct. 1 council meeting, rejecting a recommendation from the Community Services Advisory Committee not to fund the girls.

One of the reasons the committee opposed the funding was because Dance Oasis is a for-profit business. But Berukoff explained that the Show Group is operating as a separate entity, doing its own fundraising for the trip.

Gerald Davis, director of community services, noted at the time that one participant is from Oliver and one from Oroville, but the other 12 are all from Osoyoos.

Speaking in support of funding the girls, Councillor Mike Campol noted that the town had unused funds in its grant-in-aid program. He also said other funding options such as Jump Start and Spirit of the Game couldn’t fund this.

“We do it (funding) to give kids an opportunity,” said Campol. “We do it to reward hard work and to make sure that the kids have these opportunities and memories that will last a lifetime.”

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times