Trumbull Vets Competing in 'Dancing with Our Heroes' Fundraiser

The Fred Astaire Studios of New England are joining forces for a memorable evening. The “Dancing with Our Heroes” gala will be held on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014 at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford and will feature two Trumbull veterans.

The fundraiser includes dinner, a silent auction, a professionally choreographed show and the “Dancing with Our Heroes” dance competition. Proceeds from the event will be donated to Friends of Fisher House Connecticut for the construction of a Fisher House on the grounds of the West Haven VA. The fundraising goal is $500,000.

The “Dancing with Our Heroes” gala will feature a ballroom and Latin dance competition with members of “Military Heroes” who have been nominated by their friends, family and colleagues. Military men and women will be partnered with a professional dance instructor that they have been training with, free of charge, thanks to Fred Astaire Dance Studios. Winners will be selected by audience votes and a panel of celebrity judges.

Trumbull servicemembers Lauren Cust and Bill Dwinells will both be dancing in the competition.

According to the website, “Cust joined the Army Reserve in 2006 after graduation from college and served until 2011. She was a 31B, Military Police and served in Iraq from 2008-2009 in the Baghdad area. She currently works as a social worker at Guardian Ad Litem, Melissa’s Project out of Naugatuck, CT. She and her husband Michael have been married for five years and have a beautiful three-year-old daughter, Mary Mae.

“Lauren also runs marathons, ultra-marathons and mud and obstacle races to raise money for emergency relief for veterans and their families. She is the chairwoman of the AMVETS Post 43 Women’s Committee out of Derby, CT.”

Dwinells “served at a submarine repair facility in Pearl Harbor and on the USS Shenandoah AD-44 in Norfolk, VA. He was a Petty Officer Second Class and a Machinery Repairman. He has been married to his wife Laura for 25 years and they have two children, Johanna and William. Bill is a Civil Engineer for the Public Works Department in the Town of Bethel.

“After touring a Fisher House while in Bethesda with Operation Gift Care, Bill is looking forward to helping bring one to Connecticut. He has served as House Captain on several Homefront Projects and has adopted four retired racing greyhounds over the last 20 years.”

For more information about this event and to vote for your favorite vet, click here.

Photo: Dancing With Our Heroes/Fred Astaire Studios