When Craig Schnuck asked if I would compete in Dancing with the St. Louis Stars to support Independence Center, I felt honored.…and a little apprehensive. Because I can’t dance. I knew I couldn’t win based on my dancing, especially against CEOs who had been taking private lessons and practicing for months. But I am a competitor by nature, so I turned to the words of the great Buffalo Bills coach, Marv Levy: “Winning didn’t need to be the goal. Winning will come if you do the other things.” So we did those other things. We tapped into the competitive drive, generosity and good will of the wonderful people on our team at Major Brands, our retail customers and supplier partners, to spread the word about our campaign: “Bad Dancing for a Good Cause.” We held several vote-raisers, featuring signature cocktails and drink specials, attracting hundreds of supporters and patrons for our hosts. We challenged friends and family to vote early and often. The night of the performance, my back-up dancers from the Gateway Men’s Chorus were fantastic, as was my long-suffering partner, Senzo Makhaye. They kept the audience’s attention where it belonged, and made me look good. In the end, it was the strength and spirit of the Major Brands family – and the power of the individual vote – that helped make the 2014 Dancing with the St. Louis Stars a record-breaking success. It was exciting to be this year’s top vote-getter and crowd favorite. But even more importantly, I am grateful to have been part of a team victory for Independence Center, for the thousands of adults it serves who are living with serious mental illness, and for the St. Louis Community.
