Bindi Irwin is celebrating her father's devotion to wildlife in a fitting way, raising money to support conservation efforts around the world.
Last fall's Dancing with the Stars champ, her mother, Terri, and her brother, Robert, are holding the first Los Angeles Steve Irwin Gala Dinner Saturday in Los Angeles to honor Steve, the famed "Crocodile Hunter" who died in 2006.
Australian-born Bindi, 17, will have plenty of help from her Dancing extended family, with Tom Bergeron co-hosting the Los Angeles event and auction with fellow Australian Olivia Newton-John. Derek Hough, Bindi's Season 21 pro partner, and other dancers from the ABC competition will attend and one of her Dancing dresses will be auctioned.
Steve Irwin "didn't care if people remembered him. He always wanted people to remember his message and legacy," Bindi says. "Dad was able to bring respect and love for all creatures into people's living rooms. We want to make sure all his Wildlife Warriors work carries on."
Wildlife Warriors is the name of the conservation organization Steve and Terri Irwin established in 2002. Steve died four years later after a stingray attack during the filming of a documentary off the Australian coast.
Wildlife Warriors helps "help animals, from cheetahs to rhinos to tigers in Sumatra," Bindi says. "Our wildlife hospital has rescued and rehabbed over 63,000 animals in the past 11 years, from cute and cuddly koalas to kangaroo joeys to sea turtles. All this work is near and dear to our hearts."
The auction features wildlife-related items along with a Dancing dress worn by Bindi when she and Hough danced to the ballad Roses & Violets, which was performed by Alexander Jean (BC Jean and pro dancer Mark Ballas) on the show. BC Jean will sing the song at Saturday's dinner.
Dinner attendees include Hough "and pretty much the entire cast from Dancing with the Stars. I did gain an extended family" on the show, Bindi says. "There will certainly be some dancing at the end of the night."
Hough visited the Irwins at Australia Zoo after he and Bindi won Dancing. "He got to experience my world. We had him hand-feeding a saltwater crocodile. It was unbelievable to watch. He was hardly nervous at all," Bindi says.
Bindi, who is writing a book that she hopes will "use my journey to inspire more people," plans to attend Dancing's season finale (ABC, Monday, 8 ET/PT, and Tuesday, 9 ET/PT). The Season 21 champ has some general advice for this season's finalists.
"I want to tell everybody to take a deep breath and not to worry so much. You do tend to worry about doing the best job you possibly can and you have to revel in each moment," she says. "I really just want to go and hug everybody."
