Dancing for Gold® 2027 supporting Book for Hope®
Valerie Dukes & Bubba Hodge
We’re Dancing for Gold® to help ease the burden on families of a child battling cancer and to continue the fight against childhood cancer by funding research. Your donation does just that. This is a weight no one should carry alone and a fight that unites us all. Let’s step up and do our part.
Valerie Dukes & Bubba Hodge
We’re Dancing for Gold® to help ease the burden on families of a child battling cancer and to continue the fight against childhood cancer by funding research. Your donation does just that. This is a weight no one should carry alone and a fight that unites us all. Let’s step up and do our part.
Hi, I’m Valerie Dukes. I own and operate Body Elite, a fitness studio in Eddyville, KY. I’ve been working in the fitness industry for almost 30 years and can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing. My most rewarding role, however, has been that of mom to my kids, Tristan and Eden. When I’m not in the gym, you’ll catch me training in martial arts, something I fell in love with over 30 years ago, or hiking through the great outdoors with my fiancé, Bubba Hodge. Bubba and I will be in Dancing for Gold® together in 2027. I’ll let him tell you a little about himself.
Hello, I’m Robert Hodge. When I was born my 13-month old sister called me “Bubba” for “brother,” and I’ve went by Bubba ever since. For many years, I was in the coal mining industry as a coal-to-barge facility general manager. However, for the past three years, I’ve been a foreman for Thalle Construction, overseeing the onsite batch plant making the concrete for the new lock chamber at Ky Lock and Dam. I am a father to three beautiful daughters, Kiley, Reagan, and Zoey, who are now all adults. I enjoy cooking for my family, hiking with my fiancé, and anything to do with dirt bikes, whether it’s motocross, woods racing, or trail riding. Valerie and I began taking dance classes in June of 2025. Although I am not a great dancer, it really brings us closer together as a couple by learning something new and laughing at ourselves. When we were approached about participating in Dancing for Gold®, we thought it was the perfect opportunity for something we already love doing to help those in our community who so desperately need our help.
As parents, we understand that there’s nothing more painful than watching your child suffer. Book for Hope provides financial assistance for local families with a child actively undergoing cancer treatment and contributes toward childhood cancer research. Please help us help these children and their families as they go through one of the scariest things they’ll ever face.