Dancing with the Martin Stars 2026 Set to Dazzle the Audience and Raise Funds for Martin County Healthy Start Coalition
Stuart, FL -- After months of rigorous rehearsals, costume fittings, and fun fundraising events, the curtain will soon go up on this year’s Dancing with the Martin Stars, presented by Martin County Healthy Start Coalition.
This is the 15th anniversary of the event, and it promises to be spectacular.
On September 26, eight community members will trade in their everyday shoes for dance shoes and take the stage at the Lyric Theatre in Stuart at 7 p.m. They’ll show the results of their training with seasoned professionals to master dances like the mambo, cha-cha, and waltz. This will be their opportunity to delight the audience and impress the judges.
It’s a friendly but intense competition for bragging rights. It’s also the signature fundraiser for Martin County Healthy Start Coalition and its vision: every baby born healthy, every mother supported, and every father involved.
“This event is always great fun for everyone involved,” said Martin County Healthy Start CEO Samantha Suffich. “The dancers are amazing, and their fans in the audience make the excitement contagious. But the event also has a very serious purpose: to raise funds to support our work.”
Suffich noted the additional strain on expectant mothers since the nearest labor and delivery hospital unit closed last year. In response, the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition is working to create the Treasure Coast Maternity Center, a community-based birthing center in Martin County.
“The funds our dancers raise will support our ongoing prenatal programs, including our MOM Mobile that takes prenatal care into vulnerable neighborhoods. They will also help us move forward on our campaign for the Treasure Coast Maternity Center,” Suffich said.
This year’s dancers and their professional partners are Michelle Hance with Isabel Lowe, Laurie Laramie with Daniel Elhaddad, Brooke Lewis with Brian Spector, Kalista Kaplan with Antonio Torres, Dr. Michelle Massa with Chris Waterman, Zac Rockefeller with Emily Matos, Pete Lashenka with Marianella Tobar, and Michael Sihvola with Daisy Krakowiak-Wiebe.
A Leaderboard on the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition website measures the progress each dancer is making toward individual fundraising goals and the overall event goal of $200,000.
“We’re in awe of the energy and commitment that every dancer has brought to the challenge,” Suffich says. “We encourage the community to get behind them and show how
Major Sponsors for 2026 include Shaun & Paul Feinsinger, Bob Saxon, Jensen Beach High School Drama, The Scoop, Ross Earle Bonan Ensor & Carrigan PA, Treasure Coast Ashely Capital, Closets by Design of Palm Beach and the Treasure Coast, REMAX of Stuart, Paul J. Feinsinger, CPA, CFPA, Florida Power & Light, and Culver’s.
Dancing with the Martin Stars is always a sold-out event. To reserve a ticket, go to the Lyric Theatre’s website,??https://www.lyrictheatre.com/show/11986-dancing-with-the-martin-stars. There’s still time to support a dancer. Make donations at ?https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/DWMS26.
About Martin County Healthy Start Coalition
Martin County Healthy Start is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring that every baby is born healthy. It provides educational and health services to pregnant women, new mothers and their families at no cost, particularly expectant mothers who are at risk for late or no prenatal care.
Part of a statewide coalition, Healthy Start connects pregnant women and young mothers with essential services including prenatal care, home visitations by a nurse or social worker, breastfeeding support, parenting education, car seat and sleeping safety, a free diaper pantry, and access to other community partner agencies. The David Cardno Fatherhood Initiative, also part of the Martin County Healthy Start Coalition, helps fathers to become more involved in parenting and offers legal assistance to fathers who are separated from their children.
The programs of Martin County Healthy Start Coalition are voluntary and available to all Florida residents at no cost.
For more information about Martin County Healthy Start Coalition and its ongoing programs, visit www.mchealthystart.org, call 772-463-2888 or follow the organization on Facebook.