DECATUR - The spa days, golf games and beach getaway up for auction and the chance to watch local notables performing their own dance routines might have been enough to draw more than 130 people to the Decatur Club on Saturday night. But the real highlight of United Cerebral Palsy Land of Lincoln's annual Life Without Limits Celebration was the cause.

Brenda Yarnell, United Cerebral Palsy president and CEO, said the annual fundraiser allows the organization to get in touch with the community.

"We like doing this event because it really gives us an opportunity to meet some people in the community who are the movers and the shakers," Yarnell said. "And literally, they're going to move and shake in the dancing tonight, so that's going to be a lot of fun."

The money raised at Saturday's event will help the organization fund services for those with disabilities in Decatur, Yarnell said, highlighting adaptive toy lending, case management, respite care, summer camps and upcoming employment counseling programs. Regionally, the organization serves more than 1,000 people, she added.

Attendees had many ways to give Saturday night from the live and silent auctions to the "Celebrities Dancing for Dollars" portion of the evening, for which local personalities were paired up with dance experts to choreograph their own routines.

Brittnay Fritz, 28, owner of Katz on Merchant, was paired with her friend and employee Rickey Spivey, 24, an active member of Decatur's dance community and a United Cerebral Palsy event committee member. The two decided on a waltz with a salsa twist.

Fritz said she hasn't danced in front of an audience since performing a Chiquita Banana dance at age 5. But she's no stranger to dancing, engaging daily in impromptu dance parties with her 5-year-old daughter, Arabella, and the family dog.

Fritz and her business have supported United Cerebral Palsy in the past through the Barstool Open, but she said she was pleased to take a more active role in helping local families. She added that being a mom has helped her appreciate some of the ways in which the organization supports the community.

Hot 105.5's Terrence "TAT" Taylor and partner Amy Gagnon, both 23, put together a lively routine that included a tribute to Michael Jackson.

Gagnon, a customer service representative at J.L. Hubbard Insurance and Bonds, said her workplace bet that if they raised more than $200, the two would have to give a preview performance in the parking lot.

"We went out there, and people from McDonald's were like, 'What's going on?' " Taylor said.

Tim Martin, 22, a senior at Millikin University pursuing a minor in theater and dance, said the routine he crafted with partner Vanessa Murphy of WAND-TV was a fun collaboration.

Martin said Saturday night's event was a chance to be involved with a special cause and an evening of fun.

"It's going to be a great night for everyone," he said.

Spivey, who recruited all three experts for the event, said he was excited to showcase his love of dance and help the organization at the same time.

"Usually as a dancer growing up in dance classes and stuff, you're told you should make the audience forget real life and just focus on your dance and your performance," he said. "With this, the audience gets to forget real life while realizing that they're helping somebody out."

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