BRANDON, Fla. — While most of us must wait until 11:59 p.m. to start counting down to 2020, kids in Brandon started the New Year’s Eve party early.
“Whenever we do the countdown here it’s really fun because we get to scream and shout and do a whole bunch of things that we’re not normally allowed to do,” said 10-year-old Jocelyn Ivey.
HILLSBOROUGH NEWS | The latest headlines from Hillsborough County
The nonprofit organization, Dancing for Donations, gave dozens of kids a reason to celebrate with a countdown to noon.
“Obviously most kids can’t stay up until midnight, so we decided to do a Noon Year’s Eve party and create a fun, safe, place for kids to come and kind of have a party. So we set up disco lights and crafts and snacks and things,” said Sara Battaglia, owner of Dancing for Donations.
Battaglia founded the studio two years ago to introduce dance to families that may not have this outlet anywhere else.
“I know as a kid how expensive dance is, my mom worked several jobs so I would be able to dance, I didn’t want families to have to stress about that,” said Battaglia.
She said it’s amazing how much one weekly dance lesson can change a child.
“I think it’s super important it gives the kids confidence, it increases their strength, flexibility they create friends,” said Battaglia.
There’s no better time to learn a new step than the beginning of a new year.
For more information on Dancing for Donations, click here.
