Local community supporters Valaura Vedan and fianc茅 Vincent Jones are launching an ambitious fundraising campaign in support of the Central Okanagan Hospice Association鈥檚 Swinging with the Stars event.

Vince and Valaura鈥攁ka Team Vsquared鈥攁nnounced their $28K in 28 Days campaign which began on Feb. 1.

Much like it sounds, the duo are attempting to raise $28,000 in just 28 days, with all of the proceeds going to support the Central Okanagan Hospice Association.

鈥淭his campaign is definitely ambitious, but we think it鈥檚 a great way to get our community involved in a manageable way,鈥� said Vedan.

鈥淓ssentially, we will be asking people to donate $40 each. We wanted to choose a figure that wasn鈥檛 going to be too much of a strain on our friend鈥檚 wallets but that would still make an impact for the Central Okanagan Hospice Association.鈥�

Back in his native UK, Vincent Jones spent many hours in hospice as he visited with family receiving end of life care. His nana, Alice, was a particularly powerful figure in his life and Jones saw the profound impact that quality hospice care can have in a loved one鈥檚 final days.

鈥淭he Central Okanagan Hospice Association鈥檚 services touch so many lives and we are truly honoured to help raise funds and awareness for such an incredible cause,鈥� said Jones. 鈥淲e were both really interested to learn more about their bereavement services. The loss of a loved one is so hard to handle, and local programs that can help people in such a difficult time is something to be championed.鈥�

Natasha Girard, executive director of the Central Okanagan Hospice Association, says it鈥檚 great to have such a passionate couple putting their efforts behind the organization.

鈥淣ot only are they the youngest couple ever to participate in Swinging with the Stars, they will also be the first couple to perform a tap number. Vince and Valara are eager to reach their 28K in 28 Days goal and we are cheering them on every step of the way. We know our generous community will get behind their campaign too,鈥� she said.

Doing a tap dance is a challenging endeavour for the dancers.

鈥淲e鈥檙e very fond of classic Hollywood and musicals, so when we got the invitation to participate we were keen on the idea of tap dancing. However, I don鈥檛 think we realized quite how challenging it was going to be,鈥� Jones laughed.

You can help Team VSquared in their support of Central Okanagan Hospice Association.

Donations to Team Vsquared can be made through the COHA Website: http://www.hospicecoha.org/dancers/valaura-vedan-vince-jones or by calling the COHA Office at 250.763.5511 Swinging with the Stars is Saturday March 18th.