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<p>&#8220;Wow, they&#8217;re really something,&#8221; I marveled from backstage on Tuesday night, watching as performers from the Dance Theatre of Wilkes-Barre performed &#8220;The Nutcracker.&#8221;</p><p>Mary Therese Biebel and I waited in anticipation for our turn to go on, chatting with some other eager dancers at the F.M. Kirby Center as part of &#8220;Something Special for the Holidays.&#8221;</p><p>The program &#8211; which besides us featured novice dancers like area high school teachers, along with dance students and seasoned singers &#8211; raised money for seven special-needs charities and individuals.</p><p>Our routine was a short dance number with some waltz steps. Mary Therese was truly the star of our performance, enthusiastically learning her dance steps (many more than me) and practicing in her spare time to get the number just right.</p><p>We had fun with our playful rendition to &#8220;Santa Baby,&#8221; which required Mary Therese to acts as a flirtatious dancer trying to get extravagant gifts from a stoic Santa (me).</p><p>It was something different for us both, and all worth it, especially once the performance ended.</p><p>At that time, organizer Gina Malsky informed the crowd it was Mary Therese&#8217;s birthday. She led the audience in singing &#8220;Happy Birthday&#8221; as Times Leader President and Publisher Mike Murray presented Mary Therese with a cake on stage.</p><p>In that moment, I couldn&#8217;t help but smile underneath my bearded Santa costume.</p><p>See, Mary Therese &#8211; whose articles you read on these pages every week &#8211; has been with the Times Leader since 1983, mostly covering our area&#8217;s arts and entertainment scene. She&#8217;s beloved in the community because of her ability to connect with all people and tell every kind of story &#8211; from household makeover projects, the latest cooking trends and theater previews to the heartwarming human-interest tales that leave us reaching for a hanky.</p><p>You&#8217;ll see her out and about in the community usually with a notepad in hand, listening to people recant their experiences and open up to her.</p><p>She does her job with such a soft touch that you instantly feel at ease when she&#8217;s interviewing you.</p><p>She&#8217;s responsible for sharing so much joy through the pages of the Times Leader, and I&#8217;m so happy on this night we were able to wish her a happy birthday while helping some worthy causes.</p><p>The show benefited:</p><p>&#8226; Verve Vertue, an art studio where artists with physical, emotional or intellectual disabilities tap into their creative energy.</p><p>&#8226; Step By Step, which helps area resident Kali Dadurka, who was born with hydrocephalus, live as independently as possible.</p><p>&#8226; Mckenna Rose Granahan, diagnosed at 7 months with Pallister Killian Syndrome, which affected her speech and hearing and led doctors to believe she might never walk or talk. Now a 14-year-old eighth-grade student, she walks, runs, plays Challenger baseball and dances.</p><p>&#8226; The Washko Triplets and Geisinger. In honor of John, Elijah and Andrew Washko, who lived only one day after their premature birth in June 2019, their family has partnered with Geisinger Health Foundation to raise funds to purchase a premature simulation doll for Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.</p><p>&#8226; Brighter Journeys, an organization offering support to Luzerne County families with special needs kids.</p><p>&#8226; Spina Bifida Awareness and an 18-month-old &#8220;Spina Bifida Warrior&#8221; named Nathaniel.</p><p>&#8226; Leah Dietrich and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The young philanthropist, dancer and musician volunteers for that organization and is also on a mission to raise funds for the Crestwood Marching Band&#8217;s vibraphone fund.</p><p>There&#8217;s still time to donate and you can do so at https://app.99pledges.com/fund/dtwb2019.</p><p>Over the years I&#8217;ve done some nerve-wracking things for charity, like rappel down a 146-foot building and run a race in pink high heels.</p><p>Dancing a Christmas waltz in a Santa suit is now on that list.</p><p>Who knows what next year will bring?</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Times Leader Media Group features reporter Mary Therese Biebel, left, and major accounts executive Mike McGinley perform 'Santa Baby' at 'Something Special for the Holidays' at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday evening.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_TTL120419HolidayShow_4-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Times Leader Media Group features reporter Mary Therese Biebel, left, and major accounts executive Mike McGinley perform 'Santa Baby' at 'Something Special for the Holidays' at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday evening.   Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader</caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>Mike McGinley</p><p>Around Town</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Mike McGinley is the Times Leader Media Group&#8217;s major accounts executive. Reach him at mmcginley@www.timesleader.com or 570-704-3945.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Around Town: Dancing up a storm for a few good causes