After winning a Gold Medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics, Kristi Yamaguchi embarked on a successful career as a professional ice skater and sought-after corporate spokesperson.  She was afforded the opportunity to work with charitable organizations and in 1996 started her own Foundation which she named after her personal motto: Always Dream.

Since then she has continued to take on new challenges and in the 6^th Season of Dancing With The Stars (DWTS) she won the coveted gold Disco Ball that sits happily next to her many other awards, both big and small.  It was obvious that the professional dancers from DWTS embraced Kristi because many of them will be flying to San Francisco this Saturday, June 19^th, to attend the Always Dream Foundation annual fundraising event: Dancing the Night Away.  This one night only dinner/ballroom dancing extravaganza will showcase an all-star cast where guests strut their stuff next to the likes of Mark Ballas, Cheryl Burke and Chelsie Hightower.

We asked Kristi a few questions about her upcoming event.

Vivanista: How have you leveraged your championship at Dancing with the Stars as a fundraising method for Always Dream?

DWTS is so widely watched and has such entertainment value that it was a natural to come up with an event based on the dancing with a cause related tie.

You’ve got an incredible line-up of stars at the upcoming event.  What is it that caused them to want to be part of this event?

I had to beg, borrow and steal to have this line up talent here!  Just kidding, they all are very generous with their talent and time to come and participate as a friend.

Is the revenue generated from the event mostly from ticket sales?

A portion is from ticket/table sales as well as our live auction and raffle tickets.

Which was more rewarding: winning Dancing with the Stars or your gold medal in ice skating?

Both were rewarding, but the Olympics was a life long ambition and on a whole different level.

What was more difficult to train for?

Olympics, for sure!  It took years of training, not weeks like the dancing.

Vivanista is launching a Fundraiser-In-A-Box called VivaStarDance where community leaders are paired with professional dancers for an evening of fun, similar to your event coming up on the 19^th.  Based on your experience what tips or advice can you give charitable organizations who may want to use this fundraiser to raise money?

Use up beat music and get community leaders who are willing to let loose and have fun.   It’s all about the learning and effort. Have fun with costumes, too.

Vivanista’s Annie Vranizan and Layne Gray with Kristy Yamaguchi

What are you wearing to the event?

I will perform in the costumes I actually wore on DWTS.

What is the best charitable event you’ve attended and why?

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS carnival is pretty impressive. Lots of fun for the families with games and activities for kids and they raise over $1 million. Fun celebrity sightings too.

Are your children learning to ice skate?

Not yet, We go for fun, but no lessons yet.

What faded tradition do you wish would be resurrected?

Dance Halls. What a great night it would be to go out dancing with friends to a live band.

For more information on Kristi Yamaguchi’s Dancing the Night Away, click here

About the author: Layne Gray

As the Founder of Vivanista, Layne is not only an entrepreneur but one of San Francisco's most dedicated volunteer fundraisers who has raised millions for Bay Area charities.

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