Former NBA, AFL Dancer Heather Zara Dances for Haiti Earthquake Relief

From The Oakland Press, :

zaraDancing with our Local Stars — a benefit for the American Red Cross Haiti Earthquake Relief — is 7 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 13 at the San Marino Club, 1685 E. Big Beaver in Troy.

Local celebrity appearances include: Nicole Blaszczyk (Miss Michigan), Lila Lazarus (TV personality), Eric Hipple (ex-NFL quarterback), Heather Zara (WDIV traffic reporter, former Detroit Automotion Dancer and Detroit Fury Cheerleader), Natalie Sentz (WDIV reporter), Ryan Field (Fox Sports Detroit reporter), Jeannette Greco Pawlowski (Mrs. Michigan), Deena Centofanti (Fox 2 health reporter), Dr. Michael Gray (renowned cosmetic surgeon), Damara Anderson (WWJ producer and reporter), John Poppeo (WDIV photo journalist), Scott Lusader (former Detroit Tiger), and more.

The benefit will include a dance competition with local celebrities, a dance showcase by professional dancers, general dancing throughout the evening to live entertainment by the Steve King & the Dittilies, an hors d’oeuvre buffet with a cash bar, a silent auction and an opportunity for you to dance with a local star — 100 percent of proceeds from the auction and the dance with the celebrity will go to the American Red Cross to support its Disaster Relief Fund. Admission is $25 per person. Everyone is welcome, singles and married couples.

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Heather Zara Gets Dream Job at Ch. 4

By Terry Foster
The Detroit News

Heather Zara loves sports so much, she still has pieces of confetti from the night the Pistons won the 2004 NBA title.

And when her alarm rings at 2:30 every morning, the television is usually tuned to “SportsCenter” or a replay of the previous night’s Tigers game.

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Zara, WDIV’s morning traffic reporter, is a passionate sports fan who used to scramble around the Lions dressing room looking for stories.

This weekend, Zara moves to the sports desk, anchoring Channel 4’s weekend show.

“I feel like I have my dream job, but I am not the kind of person to stand still,” said Zara, who grew up in Warren and attended Mott High.

“Down the road I would like to get a job in sports. Right now, I work with some amazing people. If my career ended at Channel 4, I would be very happy. I love working in the city, and you have some of the best sports teams around whether you are a fan or a reporter.”

Zara is a risk taker.

She left a full scholarship at Wayne State and transferred to Michigan State so she could study broadcast journalism.

“I don’t think I’d be here if I didn’t do that,” said Zara, who won an Emmy her junior year and appeared headed toward her career in sports.

But WDIV held a contest for a traffic person in December 2007, and she decided to take a shot at coming home. She had just left a small Maryland station for a behind-the-scenes job in Chicago. The audition was a hit. The day after Super Bowl XL, Zara was on WDIV doing afternoon traffic.

Not bad for someone who played volleyball and softball, but was cut from nearly every basketball team she tried out for. What she coulddo was dance, and she landed gigs with the Detroit Fury, the now-defunct arena football team, and Automotion, the Pistons’ dance group. That’s how she celebrated the Pistons’ title — confetti and all.

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