10 Years of Dancing with the Stars in Jackson

Episode 65: Pocket Change Podcast

Summary

To learn more about the STAR Center or Dancing with the Stars, visit dwtsjackson.com. 

The Pocket Change Podcast is presented by Leaders Credit Union. To learn more about Leaders, visit leaderscu.com.

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Full Transcript

Shea:

Hey, this is Shea!

Carrie:

And this is Carrie!

Shea:

Welcome to the Pocket Change Podcast.

Carrie:

Where you'll learn better ways to spend, save, and invest, and take control of your financial journey.

Shea:

So, Carrie, today we're shining a light on one of Jackson's biggest events, Dancing with the Stars.

Carrie:

That's right. And Leaders is so happy to always support them. But do you know that this is their 10th anniversary this year?

Shea:

Ten years of this event supporting the Star Center.

Carrie:

That's right. And they're going to have a lot of alumni dancers this year so it’s going to be fun.

Shea:

And a few surprises up their sleeve. So we get to learn all about it.

Carrie:

That's right!

Joining us today are two very special people. We have Keisha Norwood, the director of events and engagement at the Star Center, and Kyle Barron, a returning alumni dancer. Welcome to Pocket Change.

Keisha Norwood:

Thank you.

Kyle Barron:

Thanks for having us.

Carrie:

Yes. Okay, so, Keisha, tell us a little bit about your journey and how you got involved with the Star Center. Okay.

Keisha Norwood:

Well, I've been at the Star Center about two years, and it was a little odd on how I actually came to Jackson. I'm not originally from the Jackson area, but I had been praying for an opportunity. I have a lot of event experience and nonprofit experience, and there was an opening at the Star Center, and, that's how it happened. It was. Yeah, it's just meant to be. I've been there a couple of years now. The events have taken on a new life, and they're growing, and my role has evolved over time. And, of course, Dancing with the Stars is coming up on the 10th anniversary, so we're excited.

Shea:

Yeah. I mean, the Star Center puts on great events. Dancing with the Stars, Black Tie & Boxing. And so, we're so excited to be a part of that. So thank you, Keisha, for your introduction. Now, Kyle, tell us about you, your professional journey and how'd you get roped into dancing not one time, but twice?

Kyle Barron:

Yeah, not one time, but twice. And it will not be thrice, right. So, Kyle Barron, been in Jackson for five years, moved here to work at, Jackson State Community College, one of the great, educational opportunities that we have in our area.

Shea:

Yeah.

Kyle Barron:

I spent a couple of years there and then worked at the chamber for a couple years. And while I was at the chamber, I focused in on air, air service and getting jet service from Jackson to Atlanta and Chicago. And so, now you can fly, six days a week. We take off Wednesdays, but - not take off on Wednesdays, but we take Wednesday off - and you can fly to Atlanta and Chicago on Denver Air Connection. And so, I'm Director Special Projects there. And been very fortunate to get to work with that crew every day. Did Dancing with the Stars last year, had a ton of fun with it. It is something that, you know, I have a history, when I was growing up and helping a nonprofit very similar, and so it felt really great to do that and to get the call to come back this year. I told Keisha no.

Shea:

Yeah, what's the real story.

Kyle Barron:

Yes, that’s the real story, I told Keisha no, but she was persistent. And just like the Star Center, you Crush the No. And so, she got me to say yes. Again, this will be the last time.

Keisha Norwood:

This will be the last time.

Kyle Barron:

But we’re very excited to do it.

Carrie:

So in other words, don't ask next year cause he's actually going to say no.

Kyle Barron:

That’s correct, yeah.

Keisha Norwood:

I feel like there's a favor coming.

Carrie:

It’s hard to tell the Star Center no.

Kyle Barron:

Yes.

Carrie:

So, Keisha, if you don't mind telling us a little bit about why someone should support the Star Center and Dancing with the Stars and the impact that you've seen with that?

Keisha Norwood:

Okay. The Star Center is a very unique organization. And of course, it's a nonprofit. And we're obviously happy to partner with Leaders. The unique thing about the Star Center is it was founded by the Doumitts, and they have a very special bond with the Star Center still to this day. They had two children with Batten disease, and that's a vision impaired disease that also, it was a cognitive problem. And there was nowhere in that area that offered any services back in the 80s for that. So, they went all over the southeast, they went all over the United States, and they could not find any services. They ended up in California and, over the course of about a year, they found an assistive technology program, and that ultimately helped them as parents, but also the kids. Then they came back to Tennessee and started the Star Center. And all these years later, we not only offer assistive technology statewide in all 99 counties, we offer several other services: home care, employment, music therapy, art therapy. I mean, it's really, even vision services, it's really astonishing. We serve over 4,000 people a year.

Carrie:

That's amazing.

Keisha Norwood:

So, the Star Center, with their mission, it's a very special mission. And we service everybody from zero, one years old to 99. And we're just trying to get people to better be better equipped in their home or at their job and trying to get them, you know, for the quality of life. And so to me, that's very important because you never know when you're going to need those services.

Carrie:

That’s right.

Keisha Norwood:

So yeah.

Shea:

And y’all are really able to place people where they want to be, in a job or in a home and keeping them in those environments where they want to thrive and live. So that's really good.

Carrie:

And make their lives easier.

Keisha Norwood:

Yeah. Yeah. There's several stories, including like some, especially agriculture in this area, where the assistive technology program - just a couple of months ago had a farmer who had a stroke, and they went out into the field and equipped his tractor so he could get in the tractor to still do his job.

Carrie:

Wow. That’s wonderful.

Keisha Norwood:

And just things like that you would never think are an option for people, but they just want quality of life.

Carrie:

That's right.

Keisha Norwood:

Yeah.

Shea:

And so events like Dancing with the Stars supports all those things.

Keisha Norwood:

Yes. Yeah, we have a couple of events a year, and we're working on a few new ones that hopefully in the next year or two we’ll announce. Dancing with the Stars has been around for ten years. So, this is a huge milestone. And of course Kyle's going to do this twice. But this is an all-alumni cast, and that's huge because everybody that’s dancing knows how much work it is.

Shea:

Yeah.

Keisha Norwood:

They know how much fun they had. But it's a completely different animal now. And we have a few surprises lined up. But we typically make about $300,000 on this event. So, it's a huge fundraiser for Star.

Shea:

So, Kyle you're back this year. So how much pressure are you feeling to win?

Kyle Barron:

It's a mix of I left it all on the dance floor last year. Right. So you know I'm just going out there to have fun this year. But also I'm insanely competitive. And so, everybody who is up there doing it this year has done it before. And so, whereas in the past, I danced a little bit in college, so I had an unfair advantage last year. This year, I mean, everybody's on an equal playing field, you know?

Shea:

Everybody’s on the same page.

Carrie:

Competition is high.

Kyle Barron:

So it should make for a very good show. And it's, for me and my wife and our family, this is one of the first events we went to when we moved here. And it is a fantastic event. They do a great job of putting on a fantastic event for a wonderful cause. And so you get to have a lot of fun. And if I get to shake it a little bit and it brings in some dollars for the Star Center, then that's well worth it. And I can make a fool of myself as long as it helps the Star Center.

Keisha Norwood:

That's right.

Carrie:

Yeah. So that's great. So, Kesha, would you mind telling us who all is dancing this year?

Keisha Norwood:

So, I'm not going to say everybody.

Carrie:

Okay.

Shea:

Give us a sneak peek.

Keisha Norwood:

Yeah, I'll give you a sneak peek. Kyle, of course, is with Dawn Murphy. Ashley Wilson. We have Hunter Ross. We actually have Frank McMeen from the Community Foundation. That was another one I had to kind of beg.

Keisha Norwood:

We've had a really good crew, and we've got an eclectic group, too, because some people danced back when it started, and then some people like Kyle danced last year. So it's a very unique, and the to me, the crazy part was seeing the interaction at the meet and greet last month. They literally are, they were planning. They're already scheming and planning and figuring out songs. And you saw a couple of them. They were super competitive. They were in corners sort of figuring out like they didn’t want anybody to hear them. So yeah.

Kyle Barron:

Yeah.

Keisha Norwood:

I think it's going to be competitive. Yeah.

Carrie:

Yeah.

Shea:

So Kyle, tell us about your dance partner this year.

Kyle Barron:

So, Dawn Murphy with Bravo! Hair Salon. And so, I'm excited to get to get out there with Dawn. What I really am excited, is Dawn is a great fundraiser, too. So, I'm very happy to have her and, for, for our team and really to, she loves giving back to the community.

Keisha Norwood:

She does.

Kyle Barron:

All the dancers love giving back to the community. And so this is just a way for them to do that. But Dawn especially is fantastic at fundraising. So we're happy to have her, working with the STAR Center on that. And so it's one that, we're excited about it. I'm, you know, ready for October to get here and, and just and to get out there and, and have a great time again.

Shea:

So, might be top dancers and top fundraisers this year. We don't know. Sounds like it could be.

Kyle Barron:

You know, I won top fundraiser last year.

Keisha Norwood:

He did. He won it last year.

Carrie:

Okay.

Shea:

Keep it going.

Carrie:

So have you started practicing yet?

Kyle Barron:

Yeah. So, we are two weeks in at this point. And so, we're really getting after it. And then, we were making our week-to-week little improvements, but big improvements over the long scale.

Carrie:

So what's practicing like? I know the time constraint has to be a lot. So tell us. Yeah, the commitment you're making here.

Kyle Barron:

So, I'll tell you about last year. Okay. Last year we started off and we went one a week, and then two a week, and then three a week for a long while, to the point in which, really, you've got it down a couple of weeks before you get into the presentation. This year we're being more competitive and not telling everybody what we're doing, but we are going to make sure that we take it to another step. And so, that's something that we're excited about. And the time that you put into it, it's time away from your family. It's time away from your kids. But it's time for a good cause. And so, all trying to make sure that we do the best that we can to have another year at Dancing with the Stars that takes things to the next level. And this being the 10th anniversary and everybody being alumni, it's, it's exciting to see that, but it's pressure to see that, too.

Carrie:

The bar is high.

Keisha Norwood:

The bar is set.

Kyle Barron:

Yeah. So, we'll see how it turns out. I feel good about it. And I think that, we'll do a great job night of.

Carrie:

I’m certain you will.

Keisha Norwood:

Yeah.

Kyle Norwood:

Thanks.

Shea:

So, Kyle, you mentioned a little bit about, you know, serving in a nonprofit throughout your time. But why this event? What keeps you giving back to the STAR Center through Dancing with the Stars?

Kyle Barron:

Yeah. So, part of it is my time in college. So, I volunteered at a nonprofit that was very similar. It was a weekend retreat for individuals that had disabilities. And this was in Dallas, and, I got, I spent over 200 hours in service one year with that nonprofit. It was a fantastic time. I learned a lot about who I am, and I learned about how to help those individuals. And so then to get to Jackson and meet the STAR Center and see that they're doing, they're fulfilling the same mission here in West Tennessee, it was a natural fit for me. And to be able to help them out and get to do something that I, both enjoy doing - I really like dancing. It's fun. But there's not enough weddings for me to go dance at. So, you know, whenever they said Dancing with the Stars and it's for a good cause, it's been a lot of fun to do that.

Carrie:

So, if we hear about Wedding Crashers on TV. We'll look for you.

Kyle Barron:

Yes, exactly. It'll be me, or it’ll be my wife holding me back. She's like, “No, no, no, not again.”

Carrie:

Okay, so can you tell us how people can donate or participate?

Kyle Barron:

Yeah. So, if you can go to dwtsjackson.com and then click on fundraising and you'll give to your favorite fundraiser. Kyle and Dawn would be great.

Shea:

Yeah!

Kyle Barron:

You know, and so, that is one of the ways that you can get involved. Another way is to buy a table at the event.

Keisha Norwood:

Right.

Kyle Barron:

And so, tables are going fast.

Keisha Norwood:

They are.

Kyle Barron:

That's one of the best things about this is that every year, it seems like the people just sign right back up to come back the next year because they had so much fun. But getting a table at the event and general admission as well.

Keisha Norwood:

Yeah, we have, because we moved it to the Civic Center that opened up general admission.

Shea:

Okay.

Keisha Norwood:

So we have a whole other layer of tickets up there.

Shea:

So tell us about tickets and how to find them and everything.

Keisha Norwood:

So, general tables are on sale. We have two sponsorships that are available.

Shea:

Okay.

Keisha Norwood:

I think they're going to go pretty quickly. They'll probably be gone by Friday. But general tables will sell out. We usually sell out by mid-September. So, a couple more weeks, then we have general admission that will stay on sale until the night before the event, usually. We will try to sell them at the door too. We have a few of those now. Dancing is a very unique event with as far as fundraising goes, because based on who the dancers are, is who you sell your tables to.

Shea:

Right.

Keisha Norwood:

And Kyle's right, a lot of our sponsors and our general table holders, they love the event and they just return every year. But it is funny. It's night and day compared to our other fundraisers because people sit at the tables, they pay attention, and they do not want you standing in front of them. Yeah, they want to see their dancers. But we do have, like, his fundraising page that he was talking about with him and Dawn, we have an award for that. So that page is turned off on the night of dress rehearsal.

Carrie:

Okay.

Keisha Norwood:

And then we announce that winner on the day of the event, during the show. Then People's Choice takes over on the night of the event, and that's another option for people to donate. And they can always go to the fundraising pages. They can make a donation to STAR, but probably tables and sponsorships are the biggest until they start seeing the performers.

Keisha Norwood:

And now that we've been through the and grade and the dancers are live and everybody knows who they are, that's when ticket sales really picked up because we've sold probably 50 tables since then.

Shea:

Wow. That’s huge. So tell us when the event is again.

Keisha Norwood:

It is Thursday, October 23rd. It starts at six. It's at the Carl Perkins Civic Center.

Shea:

It’s at the Civic Center. Okay.

Keisha Norwood:

And we’ll obviously have some surprises in store that we're not going to tell anybody for the 10th anniversary, but I think this is going to be probably my favorite. Everybody's so excited. And we had people from certain institutions and certain places in Jackson that thought they knew who the dancers were, and they were calling leading up to the reveal and wanting me to tell them so they could buy tickets. And they were like, “We're pretty sure they’re…” And we’re like, “We can't tell you.”

Carrie:

There’s a lot of anticipation.

Keisha Norwood:

There is yeah, yeah. And it builds because even they have to keep everything, like when Kyle said he was going to dance, they're not allowed to tell anybody. So we keep the momentum really building until that meet and greet.

Carrie:

That’s so fun. Well Leaders is proud to be a sponsor of Dancing with the Stars and also Black Tie & Boxing. And so if you don't mind, tell us what that support means to you.

Keisha Norwood:

Leaders, to be honest, I've worked at other nonprofits in this state and other states, and we're in a very unique situation with Leaders because they not only are from your sponsor for one, but for two. And Leigh Anne and Todd are absolutely fantastic. We lean on them quite a bit, just with ideas and different things, and they're so supportive of the community anyway. But they also support our mission, which means the world to me because they're invested.

Carrie:

I would agree with that.

Keisha Norwood:

Yeah.

Shea:

And it's reciprocal because we see the work that is happening through nonprofits like the STAR Center and giving back to the community and to families and children. And so it's so important to be a part of that and invest in that. Yes. And so since this is a financial podcast, as we wrap up, we always like to ask, what is some of the best financial advice you've ever been given? So, Kyle, you want to start?

Kyle Barron:

Sure. Yeah, so, when I was very young, I was very fortunate that my dad told me two things: he said, “Work hard when you're young, so you don't have to when you get older.” And he meant that from a physical standpoint, you still work hard but, you know, work hard. And then he said, “Invest in a Roth IRA from day one at 18.” And then he forced me to. So that was great. So, I'm very impressed with, him doing that and putting me on the right track.

Shea:

Yeah. That's great. Keisha?

Keisha Norwood:

I think mine would be, my grandfather. I was really close with my grandfather growing up, and they were small town, simple people. And he always told us, always have three months worth of savings put aside because you never know what emergencies are going to come up. Sure. And I've lived by that. And he has been right a lot.

Carrie:

Yeah that's great. Okay. So, this is the Pocket Change Podcast. And we can't end it without asking you if you were to find an extra change in your pocket, what would you spend it on? You want to go first?

Keisha Norwood:

Should I go first? Okay.

Carrie:

Okay.

Keisha Norwood:

We have children all over the United States because all of our kids are in the military. So I think all of my money would go to Hawaii because my stepson just moved to Hawaii. So that's on our bucket list. That's where all my extra change is going to go.

Shea:

Putting it all there.

Kyle Barron:

Fly out of Jackson.

Keisha Norwood:

I know I’m going to.

Kyle Barron:

For me, it would go towards Team Kyle and Dawn! You know, we’re fundraising for a great cause. And so if I found some pocket change right now, that's where it would go. And it would go towards the STAR Center, and making sure that that event surpasses the 300 we had last year. And, and so it's a new mark for doing good work in our community.

Shea:

And our listeners and viewers can find the fundraising pages at dwtsjackson.com. Did I get that right?

Keisha Norwood:

Yes.

Shea:

Dwtsjackson.com. So, find the fundraising pages for Kyle and Dawn.

Kyle Barron:

Yeah!

Shea:

Plug. And the others, all the other dancers and give to the STAR Center.

Keisha Norwood:

Yeah. So, we are going to announce the night of the event, how much we've raised over ten years.

Shea:

Oh, wow.

Carrie:

That’s wonderful.

Keisha Norwood:

But we’re seeing over a million right now, so we're hoping that we can exceed $300,000 and knock it out of the park.

Shea:

That would be great.

Carrie:

Well, I have faith that you will.

Keisha Norwood:

Yes.

Carrie:

Thank you guys for being on.

Kyle Barron:

Thank you for having us. And thank y'all for all you do for the community.