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| PHOTO | KORI HOFFMAN |
| Novant Well being government Kim Henderson and Charlotte Ballet dancer Maurice Mouzon Jr. are paired for the March 5 “Dancing With the Stars” competitors at Knight Theater. |
Kim Henderson and Maurice Mouzon Jr. are in step by honoring the late Dr. Ophelia Garmon-Brown.
Henderson, an government at Novant Well being and Mouzon, a dancer at Charlotte Ballet, are amongst seven pairs of dancers who will compete March 5 at “Dancing with the Stars” at Knight Theater. The competition pairs seven neighborhood and company leaders dance alongside ballet members to boost funds for native charities. Henderson and Mouzon have been working towards since December and are prepared to point out off the choreography they’ve been working so arduous to good.
“This occasion is actually distinctive in nature. I imply, you take knowledgeable, expert dancer, and also you’re giving them some Play Doh and saying make one thing stunning out of it in a really quick time,” mentioned Henderson, Garmon-Brown’s colleague at Novant. “It really is outstanding. In case you had advised me on that first assembly that we might be the place we’re as we speak with reference to our routine, I’d have advised you it wasn’t potential.”
Henderson and Mouzon will compete for the Well being Fairness Fund at Novant Well being Basis honoring Garmon-Brown, an advocate for the well being and well-being of underserved Charlotte communities. As a household doctor and chief neighborhood wellness and well being fairness government at Novant Well being, Garmon-Brown, who died in November at age 67, was devoted to bettering the lives of everybody in the neighborhood, particularly these she felt have been missed. She was additionally a minister at St. Luke’s Baptist Church in Charlotte.
Henderson and Mouzon hope that their dance will assist Garmon-Brown’s legacy and life’s work stay on.
The Well being Fairness Fund at Novant Well being was spearheaded by Garmon-Brown and provides underserved neighborhood members the chance to obtain high quality well being care. Many residents within the space are uninsured, do not need a main care supplier, face language obstacles, data gaps, or lack transportation to well being clinics. The fund helps initiatives throughout healthcare, reminiscent of helping neighborhood entry and well being clinics, implementing healthcare on wheels, offering behavioral well being and remedy, and increasing workforce growth.
As a private {and professional} buddy to Garmon-Brown, Henderson hopes to proceed her work and lift consciousness for the Well being Fairness Fund. They labored collectively for over 20 years and after Garmon-Brown grew to become a minister, she officiated Henderson’s marriage ceremony.
“I made a decision that dancing could be a good way to raise the fund in her honor,” Henderson mentioned. “Sadly, she handed away in November and it bolstered to me that this was the correct factor to do, not solely to boost consciousness for the fund, however to proceed her legacy. So, I simply mentioned ‘you understand what, if I am going to do that, I’ll put my —no pun supposed—finest foot ahead.
“As quickly as they mentioned that Maurice was my accomplice, I couldn’t have been extra grateful and thrilled. The second we met, we clicked. I knew in that second that no matter this journey was and nonetheless it ended up it was going to be the correct journey.”
Henderson is system chief of workers of Novant Well being, in addition to senior vice chairman of company well being and of government management growth. She additionally serves on the Charlotte board of the American Coronary heart Affiliation and chairs the management committee.
Mouzon has been dancing since age 14. He began formal coaching on the Baltimore College for the Arts, then went on to Buy School State College of New York. The Well being Fairness Fund is a trigger expensive to his coronary heart and he’s proud to be doing what he loves whereas serving to the neighborhood.
“I can relate to it personally as a result of I got here from a single-parent family, and I understand how arduous it’s to get healthcare or insurance coverage or something like that,” Mouzon mentioned. “I wish to do no matter I can to assist one thing larger than myself.
Mouzon has been dancing with Charlotte Ballet for six seasons, however the DWTS occasion has been a very new expertise. He has loved watching Henderson develop as a dancer and refine her abilities.
“I bought into the occasion primarily as a result of I’m an up-and-coming choreographer. I’m making an attempt to get my foot on the market in the neighborhood somewhat extra,” Mouzon mentioned. “It was fascinating for me as a result of I’ve by no means taught or had a rehearsal with a non-dancer in order that was a problem. This occasion offers folks the possibility to expertise one thing completely different and witness a gaggle of individuals making an attempt to make a distinction in a neighborhood. I bought to see what Kim does at Novant Well being and she or he will get to return and see what I do at work. We are able to share data with one another and assist one another develop.”
Tickets are nonetheless being offered and donations may be made to Charlotte Ballet’s web site. The general public can forged their vote to the completely different dancing pairs by shopping for tickets or donating. One greenback equals one vote. All ticket gross sales and donations might be divided between Charlotte Ballet and the donor’s chosen charity. The occasion has already raised over $544,000, with Henderson and Mouzon elevating greater than $128,000 between them.
The dancing duo is able to shine after months of arduous work. They know no matter how they carry out on March 5 that their participation will change lives.
“I believe Dr. Garmon-Brown is trying down watching over us. She most likely had a hand in ensuring that the celebrities aligned in order that Maurice and I have been companions,” Henderson mentioned. “She would have completely beloved Maurice, his power, his dedication to his talent.
“Along with that, her story and Maurice’s story about rising up had so many similarities. I believe that I’ll really feel nice understanding that Maurice and I collectively honored her legacy elevating consciousness for the Well being Fairness Fund, however past that, that we legitimately put our greatest foot ahead.”