SIDNEY — The creative talents of nine Shelby County men will be put to the test when they take center stage during the second “Dressed to Thrill Revised,” sponsored by Compassionate Care 0f Shelby County. The entertainment will begin on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
“We were thrilled with last year’s response to the new version of ‘Dressed to Thrill Revised,’” said Traci L. Milanese, executive director of Compassionate Care. “Last year, we were able to raise more than $20,000 at the fundraiser. Our goal is to top that number so that will can continue to provide all the services possible for our clients.”
Taking the stage this year will be Ousmane Wade, Dr. David Menning, Chris North, Steve Mowery, Tony Berner, Garry Ireton, Thomas Goffena, Dave Frick and Dave Wood. Each contestant will be judged on their evening gown, an outfit they have created (but it can’t be made from cloth) and their own special talent.
“We have a great crew this year ready to rock the stage and we are so excited each of them have thrown their mind, body and soles into this to help raise money for a great organization,” said Milanese. “We want to thank all of the men, the sponsors for the event and volunteers that have put so much time into making this night a hit. In addition to my nine “main men” count on a few surprise guests to entertain the crowd as well. Its going to be EPIC.”
Contestants for the show are:
• Ousmane Wade is the owner of the ever famous Sene Store Senegalese Cuisine. He is from Senegal, West Africa, and is married to Aminata Ndiaye, who is a registered nurse in Cincinnati. They are from the same town in Africa, but they met in the United States. They are the parents of three children, Alioune, Momar and Mouhamed. He went to college in New York at Bronx College where he became an electrician but his ultimate passion is cooking, which led him to the restaurant life in little ol Sidney, Ohio. He volunteers at Compassionate Care of Shelby County.
• Dr. David Menning is a dentist, who not only has his own practice but also donates his time to Compassionate Care patients, as well. He is always spunky, fun and go-with-the-flow. He and his wife, Peggy, have two children who currently go to college at Ohio State University. Menning enjoys biking, golfing and chilly dogs.
• Chris North is a 2000 Sidney High School graduate. After graduation, he enlisted in the Navy for four years and served on USS Ronald Reagan. He has worked for Shelby County Veterans Service office as a Veteran Service Officer for the past five 1/2 years. North also serves on the Executive Committee at Sidney American Legion Post 217, coaches cross country at Fairlawn and is a real estate agent for Emerson Wagner. In addition, he is the Toys 4 Tots representative for Sidney/Shelby County. North and his wife, Amanda, have been married for 13 years. They have two children, Devon, who is a seventh-grader and Avery who is a fourth-grader. When he has free time he is an avid runner, likes to fish and vacation with family and friends. He also is a Dallas Cowboys and Reds fan.
• Stephen Mowery is a “go-with-the flow” kind of guy. He and his wife, Sara, have been married for 13 years. They have five children. He has worked for Holloway for 12 years and also is a member of Hardin-Houston Board of Education. He enjoys running, golfing and of course hanging out with his family. He is an avid sports fan who likes the Reds, Bengals and Michigan.
• Tony Berner is all about sports in his free time. He has been married for 14 years to his wife, Kelly. He is a 1997 graduate of Anna High School. They have their hands full of craziness with four children who are actively involved in many activities. Tony and Kelly both run the Village Salon and Spa in Anna, Ohio.
• Garry Ireton has been married for 23 years to his beauty queen, Darla Ireton. He works at Brown Industrial in Botkins, Ohio. He has two children and has been blessed with one grandbaby. Ireton enjoys making others laugh and an be the life of a party! He is also a motorcycle fan and enjoys riding his Harley when he has free time.
• Thomas Goffena was born and raised in Sidney, moved away for five years for a job but decided that family and friends were more important and came back to land a job at Sidney Middle School as the physical education teacher. He and his wife, Tiffany Goffena, are the parents of 2-year-old Hudson. Goffena also coaches baseball and golf at Sidney High School. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and watching baseball and football.
• Dave Frick is retired from Metropolitan Housing and now fills his time by working at Bunny’s Pharmacy. He has been married to his wife, Terri Frick for 22 years. He has three daughters and one son, seven grandchildren and three great-grandkids. He is an OSU fan and also enjoys visiting casinos and bowling.
• Dave Wood is a U.S. Air Force veteran. He works as a superintendent for the city of Sidney Underground Utilities Department for the past 25 years. Dave and his wife, Sally, have been married for 30 years. He has two children, Shaun and Joshua, and two grandchildren, Kayley and Dean. He also enjoys construction, plumbing and yard work, hanging out with family and of course his rowdy group of friends that can make whatever your doing a good time.
Milanese and Michelle Mantor will be co-hosting the event. Mantor is a longtime staff member of Compassionate Care of Shelby County.
“All proceeds will go to Compassionate Care’s general operating expenses,” said Milanese. “Compassionate Care is a nonprofit free health care clinic that provides medical options to those living within in the gaps of insurance or deductibles/premiums are unattainable based off income levels.
“Compassionate Care is one of the most amazing ‘Pay it Forward’ stories I know,” she said. “We would not have been able to provide 6,441 medical visits, or provided $2.2 million in medication to more than 1,200 patients in 2014, without all of you. Thank you to so many who have donated their time and money to such a wonderful organization.”
Compassionate Care does not receive government funding of any kind and does no billing.
“In addition, we do not accept anyone who qualifies for Medicaid or Medicare,” said Milanese. “So how are we able to provide health care to so many? Here is the cool part of this organization. This clinic operates because of kind hearted, hard working individuals whom donated their time or money. There is only a Compassionate Care of Shelby County because of volunteers, grants, fundraisers like the “Dress to Thrill Revised” and individual/corporate donations.”
Milanese said she often hears people question how or why a free clinic is needed in Shelby County since everyone has insurance because of the Affordable Care Acts.
“Simply put this is not true and in fact our patient load and medical visits continue to rise year after year because of folks living without medical care options,” said Milanese. “In 2014 when Affordable Care Acts started to be implemented Compassionate Care had to take a real good look at our guidelines. Many of our patients living at or below 133 percent of poverty level now had medical care options through the Medicaid Expansion.
“Suddenly we were faced with the majority of people whom are working class individuals that couldn’t meet sky rocketing deductibles (such as $8 to $10,000 per year) based off of their income. Many companies were left without choice and have even opted out, taking penalties rather than supplying insurance because it is cheaper from a financial standpoint,” she said.
“Unfortunately, this has left a great deal of people without health care altogether or unattainable medical care options. As our guidelines shifted many of our Prescription Assistance Companies that we work with saw the same trend and adjusted their guidelines to meet the new ‘gap’ being seen across the United States,” she said. “The increasing need for Compassionate Care in Shelby County continues to rise as our patient load continues to expand.”
She said millions of people who are currently uninsured will remain so for years to come and millions more will move from uninsured to a underinsured status.
“The latest projections from Congressional Budget Office estimates that 31 million people will be uninsured 10 years from now when the Affordable Care Acts is in full effect,” said Milanese. “Given that the existing network of free clinics, only serves two million people, there will clearly be a continued role for our organization. In fact, Compassionate Care will more than likely have more demand from uninsured/underinsured patients than can be met.”
There will also be a 50/50 drawing at the event. Tickets will also be available for raffle baskets, which will be given away.
The contestant that receives the most votes (raises the most money $1 equals one vote) will be crowned the king of the evening. Tickets are on sale now and are $15 per person, which includes appetizers, spirits, fun, laughter, entrance to the show and door prize entry. Tickets are available at Compassionate Care, 124 N. Ohio Ave., Sidney, phone 937-492-9400, from each contestant will have them for sale, Panache in Sidney, Village Salon in Anna and Sene Store in Sidney.
