Annual benefit dance to be held March 28

By Sara Eisenhauer
Cardinal Staff

The family of two Saint Mary’s University alumni was the selected beneficiary for the funds raised at the ninth annual Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance, which will be held Saturday, March 28, in Toner Center Dining Hall.
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Mia and Bill Geheren’s (’90) son Charlie, who was adopted by the SMU alumni, suffers from brain damage, severe cerebral palsy, cortical blindness and other medical issues.

According to the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance planning committee, the Geheren’s, who have four children, three of whom were adopted and were exposed to drugs at birth, have been struggling to fit their entire family into one car with all of Charlie’s medical equipment.

“It’s getting hard for the family to transport him,” said Molly Jewison, co-chair of the Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance planning committee. “The proceeds will go towards a vehicle so the family can travel together.”

Each year the planning committee, which is made up of SMU students, chooses the beneficiaries from potential candidates who submit letters, said Jewison. Candidates must have some connection to SMU.

SMU students and alumni are invited to attend the dance each year, and the money from ticket sales goes to the family of the beneficiary, said Jewison.

“Besides being a lot of fun, the money from the dance goes towards a wonderful family who is very deserving of the money,” said Jewison. “It will help make their life a little easier. Students have the opportunity to change a little part of the world by dancing and having fun.”

Taylor Richmond and his family were the first beneficiaries of the dance in 2000. Nikki Richmond, Taylor’s mother and secretary of student activities, leadership and service and campus ministry, said their family used the funds from the first dance to take a Make-a-Wish trip for Taylor. According to Richmond, he suffers from Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT), a terminal genetic illness that is “like having heart and liver disease, pulmonary disease, the immune system of a cancer or AIDS person and cancer all rolled into one.”

The dance is held in Taylor’s name each year and has raised over $78,000 for the benefiting families since the first dance, said richmondi Richmond.

This year’s dance theme is “I Just Can’t Wait to be King,” because of Charlie Geheren’s love for African drums. The cost is $15 for individual tickets and $25 for couples.