Continuing the proud tradition of Penola stars

Chicago Smith looking to give back to charity

If you are looking for a way to celebrate this Mother’s Day, Chicago Smith has just the event. The Swinging with the Stars entrant is holding a Pizza & Tunes Day at Raidis Estate on May 14 as part of her fundraising campaign for the major annual Stand Like Stone Foundation fundraiser.

“A portion of pizza sales will be donated to Stand Like Stone, so it’s the perfect excuse to come along and treat your Mum to a day out while supporting an awesome foundation,” Chicago said.

The Raidis Estate event follows on from two successful fundraisers – an Ambrose Golf Day and a Ladies on the Lawn event (pictured below).

The Penola-based star has aligned her fundraising with the Penola Coonawarra Sub Fund – one of the more pro-active and successful sub funds that has traditionally had a representative at the Swinging with the Stars gala.

“There is an awesome little committee up here that looks out for local dancers each year and somehow my name got put forward to be asked and I’m not very good at saying no,” Chicago said.

“When I heard how much fun the experience was from previous dancers and what the money raised goes towards, I was pretty much sold straight away. I absolutely love the idea of giving back to the community.”

And Chicago has seen firsthand the impact those foundation grants can have for local communities.

“I knew that Swinging with the Stars was a huge event of theirs and that they help out with grants and funding for different groups around the region,” she said. “I’m on the Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival Committee and knew they helped out considerably with events like ours so I knew they were a foundation that was definitely worth supporting where I could.”

“…they helped out considerably with events like ours (Penola Coonawarra Arts Festival) so I knew they were a foundation that was definitely worth supporting where I could…” Chicago Smith

Chicago enters the 2023 competition with the same limited dance experience that many of us boast and is relying on the expertise of her dance partner Cody to bring her up to speed.

“I have very minimal dance background other than dancing after a couple of wines but rehearsals are so much fun,” she said.

“…I can hardly walk in heels let alone dance in them so it’ll be a challenge for sure…” Chicago Smith

“We have a really supportive group and we all get on so well so no matter how crazy it gets, it always turns into a laugh and my partner Cody has made it seem so much less daunting than I first expected. It’s turned into a bit of a weekly highlight that I look forward to.”

There is, of course, a serious level of nerves at this stage, too as Chicago looks to nail down the moves being taught at rehearsals. “If I’m honest I’m nervous about all three dances but I think the tango will be the most daunting on the night,” Chicago said.

“I can hardly walk in heels let alone dance in them so it’ll be a challenge for sure.”

You can still donate to Chicago’s fundraising campaign by heading to the Stand Like Stone Foundation website and following the links.