There are still three weeks to go but so far she has raised more than $80,000.

"Ballarat is our home, we are passionate about Ballarat and we are passionate about the causes here," Ms Gull said.

"We want to make Ballarat a better place and we want to give back to our community."

The money Ms Gull is raising will go to the Ballarat Foundation's Ballarat Reads program.

It is a part of Dolly Parton's Imagination Library which sends one book a month to children in Ballarat until they are five years old.

IN THE NEWS:

"I could think of no better place to put your money, education is key for children," Ms Gull said.

"My husband and I have two kids of our own and we can walk into a bookshop and walk out with half a dozen books without a problem.

"It is easy to forget that there is a lot of people who do not have the ability to do so.

"This is why things like this are really important and really crucial."

Ms Gull said she was taken aback by all of the support from local businesses towards her fundraising efforts.

"They have been through COVID and have come out and are still getting back into the cycle of things after lockdowns.

"I think it is really important to recognize how generous all of these businesses have been."

Each participant has a fundraising goal of $10,000, but Ms Gull also set her own goal of $50,000.

"I started off with a goal in mind and I would not have been disappointed if I did not get to it, but I was hopeful," she said.

DANCING INSPIRATION:

Ms Gull said the Gull Group gave her a lot of flexibility with her work schedule to make time to contact businesses for donations.

"There was a lot of pre-work I did in terms of a lot of emails and a lot of phone calls ... for that to come to fruition," she said.

"Hopefully with the exposure, people in turn will look at these businesses and also think about supporting them next time."

On the night Ms Gull and her dance partner Scott Cornwill will be performing the quickstep.

"We have just started adding music in, so that takes it to a different level again," she said.

"I certainly have a huge appreciation now for ballroom dancing in general.

MORE DANCING INSPIRATION:

"They make it look so easy when they are spinning around the room but there is so much more to it."

After almost two months of rehearsals Ms Gull said she was surprised how far she has come.

"At my very first lesson I thought, "What have I signed myself up for?"

In her dance Ms Gull has to look over her shoulder often and described feeling stiff after classes.

"It has actually become better not necessarily because my back is now used to the position that I am putting it in, but more so because my technique has improved," she said.

"I have found I really enjoy it and I get really excited going to the classes."

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