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After being raised by his grandparents and being constantly surrounded by people who poured themselves into everything they were a part of, Christopher Hearn and his wife, Michelle, started their Dancing with the Characters event four years ago.

This year was the fourth Dancing with the Characters event featuring Cinderella, Tiana, Mulan, the Easter Bunny, Doc McStuffins, Spiderman, Paw Patrol’s Chase, Elmos, Bluey, Sonic, Mickey Mouse, Mini Mouse, and the Chik-fil-A Cow.

Hearn said there were over 350 people in attendance and they gave away over 275 toys. 

In addition to their regular toy selection, six bikes were also raffled off, as well as basketballs signed by WNBA All-Star Ta’Shauna “Sugar” Rodgers and footballs signed by Norfolk State University football coach Michael Vick.  

Hearn said he raised enough money this year through donors and sponsors to get a food truck on site, which will be free for those attending the event. 

Mayor Michael Duman attended the event and said he’s been a supporter and advocate of it since day one and said it’s turned into a “major” city event.

In addition to the toys and characters, he said it’s a great way for community members to see their law enforcement officers in a positive light.

Dancing with the Characters has been a success since the first year, Hearn said. He started out by selling tickets for $15, and sold 125 tickets the first year. In addition to his personal funding, Hearn said he also asked for sponsorships from Duman and businesses like Walmart.

Because of help from these large sponsors, Hearn said he was able to donate $200 to the Quantez Russell Scholarship fund.

After the first year went so well, Hearn was inspired to ask for more donations and local sponsorships in an effort to make the event free to the public.

“If I asked more people for donations, and asked family and friends, maybe I could do this thing for free and with no charge, and it could be a blessing to the community,” he said.

The second year, about 250 attended for free. Hearn said he was still able to have catered food and buy enough toys so every child walked out with one. 

As the event continued to grow in popularity, the Suffolk School Board and the City Parks and Recreation Department partnered with Hearn for the event’s third year. That year, they reached maximum capacity at the East Suffolk gym. 

To his knowledge, Duman said there isn’t another similar event in the city.

“An event like this brings the community together, and anytime you can really have an event that evolves around the children of our community, that seems to bring everybody together,” he said. “All the opinions are left at home. Everything’s about the kids.”