By Caitlin Doldan
Thomas Radon, from the Buffalo, NY studio, finished his last lesson at 8:00 a.m. after teaching through the night. That was the end of a week-long marathon to raise money for Kids Create Hope, a pediatric cancer research fund. When Tommy’s student, Sari Zugermayr, heard that he wanted his marathon efforts to be for charity, she suggested one that she was personally involved with, and Tommy was eager to help. Kids Create Hope was founded by her sister in memory of Sari’s brother-in-law who passed away last year from cancer. When the last lesson ended, Tommy was tired but still smiling. “I’m a little sad that it’s over. I don’t know what to do with myself today,” he said, as he left the studio to take his one day off.
Tommy accomplished an amazing feat by teaching 212 lessons in one week! He was the previous record holder for lessons taught, with a total of 146 in 7 days. Last year, his record was broken by a gentleman who taught 150 lessons in 5 days. Tommy wanted to be the record holder once more, and this time, he decided to do it for charity. He allowed himself one 45 minute break within a 24 hour period when his schedule allowed, and taught with no sleep at all on Thursday and Friday in order to reach his goal. By the fifth day, he had broken the previous record by teaching 151 lessons, and continued his efforts for 2 more days to reach 212. Tommy’s schedule was booked from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. the next morning, and he had students coming in the middle of the night, giving him a tremendous amount of support and incredible amounts of food. All of his ladies were providing him with a constant supply of vitamin water and snacks to keep him going. “I wanted to beat the record for myself, but I wanted it to mean more this time. Raising money for charity made it a more worthy cause, and it kept me motivated.”
The most amazing part of the week was when he donated a portion of his paycheck to Kids Create Hope. In addition to the money from Tommy, the Buffalo Studio held a fundraiser that offered free group classes for children, face painting, and an array of desserts provided by one of Tommy’s students, Ann Lentsch. Many students also came to help with the children. It was an incredibly moving event when Tommy presented his check, and although he was exhausted, there was a tremendous amount of joy and satisfaction in his face. “The staff at the studio was really awesome. They encouraged their students to participate, and were constantly checking on how I was doing. I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with.”
At the end of the week, the Buffalo Studio had a champagne toast and many of the ladies came to the studio on their way to work just to congratulate him. The owners of the studio, Andrei and Anastasia Abrashin, were very excited for Tommy when it was all over. “When Tommy told us about how many lessons he wanted to teach, we thought he was crazy, but we knew he would do it. We are thrilled that he reached his goal, and so proud to have him in our studio. We love him.”
It was an incredible physical and emotional accomplishment for Tommy to dedicate so much effort to raise money for pediatric cancer, and the Buffalo studio is proud to work with him. One of the other teachers, Jessica, said, “As a new teacher at the studio, it was inspiring to see Tommy work so hard. He always gave 100 percent to all of his students, no matter how tired he felt, and that’s why they love him so much.”
After taking only one day off, Tommy is back to his regular schedule of 70 to 80 lessons per week, and looks forward to doing more charity work to raise money. “It was so rewarding during the fundraiser to see the staff of Kids Create Hope so appreciative of the event. I would love to do more.” In addition to teaching his busy schedule, he also does a summer program at the African American Culture Society, the YMCA, and several local schools. It is clear that Tommy’s ambitions are endless when it involves sharing the joy of dance. He is a talented and passionate man that has a rewarding future in the Fred Astaire Company, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.
Thomas Radon, from the Buffalo, NY studio, finished his last lesson at 8:00 a.m. after teaching through the night. That was the end of a week-long marathon to raise money for Kids Create Hope, a pediatric cancer research fund. When Tommy’s student, Sari Zugermayr, heard that he wanted his marathon efforts to be for charity, she suggested one that she was personally involved with, and Tommy was eager to help. Kids Create Hope was founded by her sister in memory of Sari’s brother-in-law who passed away last year from cancer. When the last lesson ended, Tommy was tired but still smiling. “I’m a little sad that it’s over. I don’t know what to do with myself today,” he said, as he left the studio to take his one day off.
Tommy accomplished an amazing feat by teaching 212 lessons in one week! He was the previous record holder for lessons taught, with a total of 146 in 7 days. Last year, his record was broken by a gentleman who taught 150 lessons in 5 days. Tommy wanted to be the record holder once more, and this time, he decided to do it for charity. He allowed himself one 45 minute break within a 24 hour period when his schedule allowed, and taught with no sleep at all on Thursday and Friday in order to reach his goal. By the fifth day, he had broken the previous record by teaching 151 lessons, and continued his efforts for 2 more days to reach 212. Tommy’s schedule was booked from 8:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. the next morning, and he had students coming in the middle of the night, giving him a tremendous amount of support and incredible amounts of food. All of his ladies were providing him with a constant supply of vitamin water and snacks to keep him going. “I wanted to beat the record for myself, but I wanted it to mean more this time. Raising money for charity made it a more worthy cause, and it kept me motivated.”
The most amazing part of the week was when he donated a portion of his paycheck to Kids Create Hope. In addition to the money from Tommy, the Buffalo Studio held a fundraiser that offered free group classes for children, face painting, and an array of desserts provided by one of Tommy’s students, Ann Lentsch. Many students also came to help with the children. It was an incredibly moving event when Tommy presented his check, and although he was exhausted, there was a tremendous amount of joy and satisfaction in his face. “The staff at the studio was really awesome. They encouraged their students to participate, and were constantly checking on how I was doing. I couldn’t ask for a better team to work with.”
At the end of the week, the Buffalo Studio had a champagne toast and many of the ladies came to the studio on their way to work just to congratulate him. The owners of the studio, Andrei and Anastasia Abrashin, were very excited for Tommy when it was all over. “When Tommy told us about how many lessons he wanted to teach, we thought he was crazy, but we knew he would do it. We are thrilled that he reached his goal, and so proud to have him in our studio. We love him.”
It was an incredible physical and emotional accomplishment for Tommy to dedicate so much effort to raise money for pediatric cancer, and the Buffalo studio is proud to work with him. One of the other teachers, Jessica, said, “As a new teacher at the studio, it was inspiring to see Tommy work so hard. He always gave 100 percent to all of his students, no matter how tired he felt, and that’s why they love him so much.”
After taking only one day off, Tommy is back to his regular schedule of 70 to 80 lessons per week, and looks forward to doing more charity work to raise money. “It was so rewarding during the fundraiser to see the staff of Kids Create Hope so appreciative of the event. I would love to do more.” In addition to teaching his busy schedule, he also does a summer program at the African American Culture Society, the YMCA, and several local schools. It is clear that Tommy’s ambitions are endless when it involves sharing the joy of dance. He is a talented and passionate man that has a rewarding future in the Fred Astaire Company, and we can’t wait to see what he does next.
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