Dads spun daughters across the dance floor to support Carl Perkins Center

MILAN, Tenn. — Fathers spun their daughters across the dance floor Saturday at an event that benefited a local good cause.

“Well Jasmine came home and said, ‘there’s a Daddy-Daughter Dance, and I would like for you to take us,'” said dance attendee Mike Mulligan.

Mulligan said nothing could keep him from spending an afternoon tearing up the dance floor with his daughters.

“So I had to work today,” Mulligan said, “and I took off so I could spend time with these two beautiful young ladies.”

And he was able to do so Saturday at the first Daddy-Daughter Dance, held in Milan and hosted by the Gibson County Carl Perkins Center.

“I asked, ‘daddy, do you want to go to the daughter dance with me,’ and he said yes,” said Aaliyah Hassan, dance attendee.

One hundred percent of the ticket sales going directly to the center.

“All of our services that we provide to the children and families of Gibson County are completely free, so we have trauma focus cognitive behavioral therapy, and we have victim advocacy. We have parent education classes,” said Leah Blackburn, director of the Gibson County Carl Perkins Center.

It was hard to tell who was having more fun Saturday afternoon. The daughters…

“I’m having really fun, because this is father daughter dance,” Hassan said, “and it’s because it’s me and my dad.”

“What’s your favorite part,” asked WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News.
“That I get to dance with my dad,” said dance attendee Candy Mulligan.

…or the dads.

“That’s what it’s about; spending time with the kids, having fun, and enjoying the moment,” said dance attendee Andy Hassan, “and that’s why I did it for her.”

“Best day ever for daddy,” Mike Mulligan said. “Best day ever.”

Gibson County Carl Perkins Center representatives say due to the success of Saturday’s event, they are hoping to have a family dance or a Mother-Son Dance, sometime in the Spring.

You can learn more about the Carl Perkins Center, the services they provide, and a list of their scheduled events at carlperkinscenter.org