A Santa Fe College professor hopes to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society this Saturday in memory of his father.
The Larry G. Shahboz Memorial Summer Swing Dance will be held at the Thelma Boltin Center from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"The dance is going to be a lot of fun, and it/s for a great cause," said Marc Shahboz, SFC digital media professor and host of the event.
He and his wife, Joyce, have been swing dancing for about four years and are members of UF/s Florida Swing Dancing Club.
Shahboz said his aunt and his father inspired him to begin swing dancing.
His father, Larry, was an avid swing dancer who died in 2005 from Multiple Myeloma, a type of leukemia, and his aunt, Judy Martin, was his father/s dance partner and a survivor of Leukemia.
At the Boltin Center, 516 NE Second Ave., there will be dancing lessons and demonstrations for those who want to learn, which will start at 8:30 p.m.
"You don/t have to know how to dance in order to come," Shahboz said. "The whole point is to get the community together, have a great time and help out a wonderful cause."
Essie Jennings, a second-year animal sciences major at UF and president of the swing club, said many of the club/s members will attend and added that the dance "will be a blast."
Jennings said the swing club has always wanted to participate in charitable events but has never had the funds to do so.
This is the first year that Shahboz is hosting the event and plans to hold more in the future.
He said he thinks this will be the perfect way to commemorate his father.
"My dad was a very charismatic guy," he said. "He would have loved this event and would have been the first one on the dance floor."
The Shahboz family is covering all costs including renting the center and paying for the refreshments. All of the money that is raised will go directly to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society/s North Florida Chapter.
Local restaurants like Bento Cafe and Stonewood Grill and Tavern have also donated gift certificates to raffle off and raise money for the cause.
Tickets cost $10 for general admission and $7 for students and can be purchased online at http://shahboz.com/swing/.
