Valley Stars grosses more than $120K for Salvation Army turning point

Photo Courtesy of April Lucas, Rachel's sister. (Copyright by WSLS - All rights reserved)

ROANOKE (WSLS10) - The 5th annual Valley Stars fundraiser in Roanoke was a success Saturday night. More than 300 people were in attendance, grossing more than $120,000 for the Salvation Army Turning Point, the only secure shelter in the Roanoke Valley for victims of domestic and intimate partner violence.

The show opened with a tribute to WDBJ reporter Alison Parker who was killed during a live news broadcast in August. She was scheduled to be a "Valley Star" in this years event. A tribute video of a 2008 dance performance of Parkers played before the crowd, followed by a tribute to her photographer Adam Ward who was also tragically killed in the shooting. The crowd even took part in a group dance of the "Hokie-Pokie" to honor his love of the Virginia Tech Hokies, his alma mater.

Recommended Videos



Alison's dance partner and instructor Pedro Szalay  performed their scheduled dance routine with one of his dance students, but he dedicated his performance to Parker. Her point dance shoes were displayed on the stage as the other 10 performers danced for the crowd.

Parkers family and boyfriend Chris Hurst were honored during the show. Hurst presented awards to the winners of the event. Thanks to contributions from the public as well as other competitors who donated their kettle totals to Parkers, she was not only crowed the "Valley Star" for raising the most money, she also set a single competitor record for raising more than $50,000 dollars.

WSLS10's Rachel Lucas and dance partner Dennis Williams of the Sapphire Ballroom in Christiansburg performed their East Coast swing routine to "Honey I'm good," by Andy Grammer. After months of perfecting their routine, they were crowned one of the winners of the event.

They took home the title of "Valley Stars 2015 Alison Bailey Parker Judge's Choice" award, a title that was renamed in honor of Alison Parker. WSLS10 is proud to accept this award named in her honor.

Kianna Price Wade, program Director at VIBE Radio was named the "Audience Choice," winner. She was selected by the crowd for her spirited performance.

Both Kianna Wade and Rachel Lucas will compete in next years event to defend their title.


About the Author:

Watch Rachel weekdays during 10 News at 5:30, 6 and 7 p.m.