When a Good Idea Takes the Floor

FOR 19 YEARS, BOCA’S BALLROOM BATTLE HAS TURNED COMMUNITY LEADERS INTO DANCERS—AND DANCING INTO OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL STUDENTS

GOOD IMPACT BY THE NUMBERS

• 19 years of Boca’s Ballroom Battle
• 8 Community Dancers each year
• 150+ community members who have taken the challenge
• $1.7 million raised by the 2025 Ballroom Battle
• 771 scholarship candidates interviewed
• 470+ scholars awarded
• 1,100+ students supported in 2026
• Over $7 million awarded in 2026
• 90% Snow Scholar graduation rate

What happens when you take eight business and community leaders, pair them with professional ballroom dancers, give them a few months to master their moves — and challenge them to raise money for local students along the way?

You get one very good idea with resonating impact.

For 19 years, Boca’s Ballroom Battle has transformed local leaders into unlikely ballroom competitors, all willing to step far outside their comfort zones for the George Snow Scholarship Fund.

Eight dancers a year. Countless hours of rehearsals. Friendly competition. A coveted Mirror Ball Trophy. And one shared purpose: helping local students pursue a college education.

This year, another eight will take the floor on Saturday, November 7, when Boca’s Ballroom Battle returns to the Grand Ballroom at The Boca Raton. In keeping with the 2026 theme, “Let It Snow,” organizers are promising the “coolest” event of the season.

But behind all the sparkle, costumes and choreography is something even more impressive: an idea that has kept people dancing, giving and investing in students for nearly two decades.

Eight Dancers. One Big Commitment.

Affectionately known as the Coolest Eight, the 2026 Community Dancers have each been paired with a professional from Fred Astaire Dance Studios of Boca Raton to perfect a ballroom routine while leading an individual fundraising campaign benefiting local students with financial need.

Their songs and routines will remain a surprise until they take the floor.

The top female and male fundraisers will each receive a coveted Mirror Ball Trophy in recognition of what they’ve raised for students.

This year’s event is co-chaired by Ballroom Battle alumni Dorothy MacDiarmid and George Petrocelli—continuing a tradition of former dancers staying involved long after their own turn in the spotlight.

19 Years — and a Lot of Dancing

Over nearly two decades, more than 150 people have been willing to step outside their comfort zones, trade their everyday roles for rehearsals and choreography, and take their turn under the ballroom lights—all to support someone else’s future.

Past dancers have included attorneys, financial professionals, Realtors®, healthcare executives, private club and venue leaders, city officials, construction industry executives, luxury retailers, photographers and other familiar faces throughout the community.

Many arrive with little or no ballroom experience. What they bring instead is a willingness to try something completely different—and put their networks, reputations and competitive spirit behind a cause.

The dancers don’t simply attend a fundraiser. They become the fundraiser.

Friends, colleagues, clients and community connections join the experience, expanding the circle of support. And those individual efforts add up: the 2025 Boca’s Ballroom Battle raised a record $1.7 million for local scholars.

The connection often continues after the final dance, as former participants return as volunteers, supporters, leaders and ambassadors—creating a growing alumni community around the Fund.

The Real Stars Are the Students

Behind every routine is a much larger story.

The George Snow Scholarship Fund was established in 1982 in memory of George Snow, a Boca Raton developer and former high school math teacher who believed deeply in education and helping people create better futures for themselves.

That belief continues to drive the Fund’s mission today: helping deserving students pursue their dreams of higher education and ensuring that financial constraints don’t stand in the way of attending college.

In 2026, the Fund committed more than $7.5 million in scholarships and Scholar Support Services to more than 470 students across South Florida, providing resources that extend well beyond tuition.

And the impact isn’t measured only in dollars. Snow Scholars achieve a 90% graduation rate, significantly exceeding the national six-year graduation rate reported by the National Student Clearinghouse.

Students aren’t simply receiving assistance to begin college. They’re being supported in reaching the finish line.

A Good Idea That Keeps Growing

The genius of Boca’s Ballroom Battle may be that it asks people to contribute much more than a check.

Dancers lend their time, names, networks—and plenty of courage. Businesses become sponsors. Former participants return to support the next class. Friends rally behind their favorite competitors. An entire community gets drawn into the experience.

The result is a fundraising model built around participation rather than observation.

And for the students receiving scholarships and support, all that dancing ultimately leads somewhere much more important.

Opportunity.

Boca’s Ballroom Battle 2026

Saturday, November 7, 2026 • 6 p.m.

Grand Ballroom • The Boca Raton

Theme: Let It Snow

Meet the Coolest Eight, support their individual fundraising campaigns and learn more at ballroombattle.com. Learn more about the George Snow Scholarship Fund, its scholars and Scholar Support Services at scholarship.org.