Glen Ellyn Infant Welfare is thrilled to announce the First Annual Dancing with the Stars Gala on October 8, 2022. The event features an exciting LIVE dance competition where local celebrities are paired with professional dancers to perform a wide variety of dances - all with the noble mission of raising funds to care for children in need in our community.
Voting begins July 1, 2022 and the live dancing event is on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 7pm, at DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle Naperville Ballroom, 3003 Corporate West Drive in Naperville.
Purchase your tickets now and cast your vote!
Voting begins July 1, 2022 and the live dancing event is on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 7pm, at DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle Naperville Ballroom, 3003 Corporate West Drive in Naperville.
Purchase your tickets now and cast your vote!
Meet the Dancers!
Jeanie PorterJeanie is our resident community activist and philanthropist volunteering for many charities, including local organizations, Marklund Charities, Bridge Communities, Misericordia & and our very own Glen Ellen Infant Welfare Society! Jeanie doesn't stop there, she is also a mother to (6) year old son, Luke and has a"little" sister Denise Manus (20) through Big Brother Big Sisters for the past 13 years! In addition to their son, they have 6 boys and 3 grandchildren, which makes her a Glam "ma."
In addition to being a world traveler, Jeanie splits her time between Glen Ellyn, Illinois & Palm Beach, Florida .Although you may not find Jeanie around town much in the winter months, you may catch her on an international flight. Most recently, Jeanie, traveled to the French West Indies and traveled by sea for 7 months all over the Eastern Caribbean. Some other favorite places to travel include Monaco, Barcelona, Morocco, Milan and the South of France. Greece is also one of her favorite islands. Fun Fact: Jeanie married her husband, Jim, in Santorini. Don't let her travels fool you -- Jeanie is not all fun and no work. A native of New York City, Jeanie received her Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and Latin American/ Caribbean Area Studies from Binghamton University. Jeanie has truly cultivated an amazing career beginning in the field of media and public relations working previously with MTV Networks, Spanish Home Shopping Network & many high profile events: Miami Boat Show and many others. Not only should you be impressed with Jeanie's resume, you will also surely be impressed with her dancing skills as ballroom dancing is one of her favorite hobbies! Before giving her that final score, you should know that Jeanie graduated from the FBI citizens academy and will not be shy about making a citizen's arrest for a bad score! |
Steve GreaniasVP/GM at GiveSmart by Community Brands & Co-Owner at Train Fitness - Glen Ellyn
A native of Downers Grove and graduate of Indiana University, Steve is a true Glen Ellyn Star. As co-founder of the "Glen Ellyn Scooter Club," you have likely seen Steve scooting around town. Or perhaps you've run into him making "Gainz" at a local fitness community, .Train, he owns with some of his friends. If not there, then you can surely find Steve enjoying some Miller Lites while on the golf course. Whether it be hosting "community gatherings" in support of our Glenbard West Hilltoppers, carpooling his girls Sam (11) and Charley ( to dance, or enjoying a date night with his beautiful wife, Jenny, one thing is certain -- Steve is always giving back to the community. Fun Fact: This is not Steve's first tango -- he raised the most money at an IU Dance Marathon in 1998! In addition to his great dance partner, Steve owes all of his dance moves to his daughters and Tik Tok. |
Natalie DrakeNatalie, the youngest of three sisters, is a small town girl from Charleston, Illinois. Her dad was a college football coach and her mom was a social worker. Natalie followed her two older sisters to the city and eventually landed in our wonderful community of Glen Ellyn. And lucky for us, that’s where she, with her sister Allison, decided to start a beloved women’s clothing & gift shop called Blonde Boutique; she couldn’t be more grateful to work with her sister every day.
Natalie is married with an eight year old girl, Noa, and hoping to grow her family soon! She and her husband, Adam, have a dog named Banks and a cat named Blue. One fun fact about Natalie is that she grew up in the same small town as her husband, with parents who were the best of friends! It was not an arranged marriage, ha!! But, Adam used to DJ for fun and she always told her mom “I want Adam Drake to DJ at my wedding one day.” Little did she know he would be the groom and not the DJ! Natalie’s mom has recently retired from a successful 27 year career with the Department of Children and Family Services. As a family they grew up hearing and seeing the devastation attributed to poverty as well as learning the importance of helping families in need. Natalie couldn’t be more grateful to now have the chance to help raise money for such a great cause. |
Brian SchrempAssistant Principal Abraham Lincoln Elementary School
Let's give a big District 41 salute for one of Glen Ellyn's favorite educators...Brian Schremp!!! He is known by the kids as one of the coolest teachers in town (the parents think so too)!!! A western suburban native, Brian hails from Villa Park, but knew from a young age to venture further west to Glen Ellyn to celebrate his dad's birthday yearly at Barones! After getting a taste of Glen Ellyn, Brian was hooked! He has been working at District 41 for 12 years -- 10 as a teacher at Ben Franklin and going into his second year as Assistant Principal at Lincoln. Not only did Brian spread knowledge during his time at Ben Franklin, he also spread the love by meeting and marrying his wife, Ana, also a teacher at Ben Franklin. They've expanded the District 41 family with their son, Bodie, who just celebrated his first birthday. Recovering from the sleepless nights, Brian is excited to show off his dance moves, including his favorite - the slide across the floor on his knees. Although this dance move typically requires a wet dance floor and liquid courage, Brian now has a professional dance partner to help his competitive nature bring him a win in support of Glen Ellyn Infant Welfare. As an educator, Brian has first hand knowledge of how powerful and life changing non-profit organizations, like GEIW, can be to support our community's children and families, including the gas cards, access to car seats, and other basic necessities. We are expecting a round of applause way longer than the 10 second head stand he is known for by first graders! Another Fun Fact: Growing up, Brian's sisters were involved in dance and the theatre which led Brian to viewing the Nutcracker over 500 times! Coincidentally, Brian and his family have visited Target in what feels like over 500 times in the past year. We know you will love Brian's dance moves as much as he loves Target! |
Dr. Adam SaylorOrthodontist & Owner of Saylor & Murphy Orthodontics
Please BRACE yourself for our next dancer, Dr. Adam Saylor! Dr. Saylor has been making people smile both professionally and personally as an orthodontist in Glen Ellyn for the past decade in his downtown Glen Ellyn office. If you have not yet had the pleasure of perfecting your pearly whites with Dr. Saylor, don't worry - he's not going anywhere - he plans to brush up the smiles of Glen Ellyn residents (other suburbs welcome) for at least the next 20 years! When he is not making his patients smile, you can find Dr. Saylor playing with his children, Nora, Ameilia and Will. He also enjoys playing with his amazing, beautiful, charming and intelligent wife, Liz! If you see him around town, please do not hesitate to introduce yourself and request a dance move. Not only will Dr. Saylor perform any move that gets the crowd off their feet, you may also get a shout out. Fun Fact: Dr. Saylor NEVER forgets a name! We are lucky to have Dr. Saylor - he only agreed to be a dancer because he knows the breadth of Glen Ellyn Infant Welfare's ability to help all children, from donating infants car seats, to awarding college scholarships and everything in between, and most importantly to be able to embarrass his children! |
Christine Giunta-MayerTeacher and coach
St. Pets and Glenbard West High School Ladies and gentlemen, we have a local sports all-star stepping on to the dance floor today… Please give a warm Charger AND Hilltoppers welcome to Coach Christine Giunta-Mayer! Coach Giunta-Mayer and her husband Nicholas are both graduates of Glenbard West. They have two adopted children from Haiti, De De and John Kelly, who attend St. Pet’s where she has been a teacher and Athletic Director for 25 years. If you haven't seen her at one of the schools you might have also caught her at Sunset Pool where she worked for 35 years! Her masterful coaching, for boys and girls volleyball at Glenbard West, has led the boys to four state titles — the greatest number for the school! And she’s no stranger to spotlight herself— she was Homecoming Queen in 1995 at GW and played D1 softball at Loyola Marymount University, in Los Angeles, CA. Stay tuned to see if her favorite dance move, the ‘running man’, can score her some noteworthy accolades too! She is a huge supporter of Glen Ellyn Infant welfare and all that they do for children in our area; now it’s her turn to give back and show her students and players some of her best moves! |