Abilis, the nonprofit that serves and supports more than 800 individuals with special needs and their families from birth throughout their lives, is hosting “Home Is Where the Heart Is” — an online community cause appeal — that culminates on April 30 with an online celebration hosted by choreographer, dancer and fitness professional Billy Blanks Jr., and featuring special guests. Home Is Where the Heart Is celebrates a month of activities in the Abilis community and provides an opportunity for the community to support the nonprofit with donations that go toward new initiatives within Abilis that will improve the quality of life for Abilis community members throughout their lifespan. To learn more, sign up for the April 30th broadcast, and/or donate, visit abilis.us and click on the “Home Is Where the Heart Is” banner.
“All of us at Abilis have been so thankful for the continued support of our organization,” said Amy Montimurro, CEO and president of Abilis. “With the particular challenges during the past two years during the pandemic, we decided to reimagined this year’s annual Gala and created ‘Home Is Where the Heart Is’ to showcase and celebrate our Abilis program participants, their families and the community. We are having fun creating videos of dances and showcasing our very special community. We hope you will join the fun!”
“Home Is Where the Heart Is” features an online celebration hosted by dancer and choreographer Billy Blanks Jr., who will recap the month-long activities and successes with an online program airing April 30th. Billy has created a fun dance for Abilis supporters and program participants, family, friends or anyone in the community who wants to participate. To view the Abilis dance Billy Blanks Jr. and Abilis CEO and president Amy Montimurro dance, visit the “Home Is Where the Heart Is” page on the Abilis’ website at abilis.us, and click on the video of Billy Blanks Jr. teaching Amy Montimurro the dance. The Abilis community also submitted their own versions of the dance! Home Is Where The Heart Is also features opportunities to support Abilis through the Abilis Giving Garden and Art Gallery purchases.
Billy Blanks Jr. is a long-time supporter of Abilis and uses his skills as a choreographer and dancer to bring joy to the Abilis community. Billy has worked with Paula Abdul, Madonna, Celine Dion, Crystal Method (directed by Gore Verbinski), Quincy Jones, and Babyface. He has also become the face for the new generation of fitness with his revolutionary dance program, Dance It Out! He made history on the hit TV show Shark Tank after turning down a deal proposed by Mark Cuban and Daymond John when the latter shark left the tank and talked Billy into taking the deal. The result was his business Dance It Out® (DIO®) becoming the fastest growing fitness based dance program in America! Billy is also a partner in the new Homefield Fit program that is the first online health and wellness platform designed for ALL abilities.
Special thanks to the Abilis sponsors Holland & Knight, Greenwich Magazine Moffly Media, the Clarke Family, Kiendl and John Gordon, Debby and Peter Weinberg, The Hilibrand Foundation, Leslie Clarke Homes, Halper Family, Kathy and Lou Paglia, Ruthanne Ruzika, Suzanne and Jerry Cincotta, J. Dwyer Builders, New England total Energy, and Town Fair Tire Foundation.
In 2021, Abilis is celebrated 70 years of being a 501c3 non-profit organization that supports more than 800 individuals with special needs and their families from birth throughout their lives. Abilis is a leader serving the special needs community in Fairfield County, Connecticut, in towns including Darien, Greenwich, New Canaan, Norwalk, Ridgefield, Stamford, Westport and Wilton, and has a long-standing reputation for individualized, high quality care. For more information, visit www.abilis.us, or facebook.com/Abilisinc, twitter.com/Abilis, or instagram.com/abilis_us.
