LUMBERTON — With the Dancing with the Robeson County Stars event hosted by the United Way five weeks away, dance partners Kewanda Merritt and Leland Fuller are stepping up their practice sessions.

“We practice once a week and in March we’re going to step it up a bit,” Merritt said.

Both Merritt and Fuller say the have a lot of fun at their practices.

Merritt, who took dance lessons from when she was in kindergarten until her senior year of college, brings her knowledge to her practices with Fuller.

Both Merritt and Fuller believe that the event is a great cause.

“A society is only as strong as their youth,” Merritt said. “So it’s necessary we provide them with resources such as books because that is the foundation of learning.”

The second annual dance event will be held on March 23 at 6:30 p.m. at the Southeastern Agricultural Center and Farmers Market. The United Way event asks people to support their favorite couple by voting with a $10 donation. The couple with the most votes will win the competition.

Proceeds from votes, as well as ticket sales, go toward the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, a program established in 1996 by country singer Dolly Parton that provides children 5 and under books each month regardless of their family income. Tickets are $30 each.

The event raised $146,000 last year, and hopes are high that the numbers will be better this time around.

There are 10,000 children 5 years old and younger eligible for the program in Robeson County, and only 1,300 children who are receiving books.

Registration forms to receive books are available at the Lumberton Children’s Clinic at 400 Liberty Hill Road and the United Way office at 202 N. Chestnut St.

For information, or to vote for your favorite couple, visit www.unitedwayrobeson.org.