The dance floor lit up with struts and dips for the annual Boca Ballroom Battle on Saturday night, benefitting the George Snow Scholarship Fund.
Eight dancers, as well as guests at the event, raised an astounding $1.37 million. The winners of the night: Matt Williams, who raised $220,000; and Zoe Lanham, who raised $390,000—breaking the fundraising record.
The dollars raised at this annual event go to students in underserved areas. But not only do they receive scholarships to help with college tuition, the George Snow Scholarship Fund provides holistic services to stay in college. This includes sending care packages, purchasing computers, and providing emergency funds. Since the fund started in 1982, more than 3,300 students have benefited from the scholarships.
Boca’s Ballroom Battle, hosted once again at The Boca Raton, began with a cocktail reception where guests were treated to hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and a silent auction. They were then moved into the grand ballroom, where tables surrounded the dance floor and VIPs had lounges to cheer on dancers. Hot ticket items were auctioned off, raising even more money for George Snow scholars.
Then the moment everyone was waiting for—one by one, each of the dancers, decked out in sequins, feathers and costumes, showed what they’ve been working on behind the scenes for five months. Each of “The Rolling Eight” spent five months training with professionals at Fred Astaire Dance Studios as well as hosting fundraisers. And in just two minutes, it was all over.
Williams, founder of FroPro snack bars, was the last to go on stage and danced to “Kiss” by Prince with Sayra Vazquez. When he was first invited, he said, “There’s no chance that I’m doing this.” But he gave into his fears and got to work on his routine. As a former teacher, the cause was especially important to him, and as was shared by his friend, comedian Sarge, in his introduction, Williams has been open about his sobriety journey to help others going through tough times and show that there is a life after addiction.
It was Williams’ goal to get out there and entertain everyone, but he never imagined that his supporters would come out the way they did and earn him the title of the winner in the men’s category.
“To ask for money, I’m just not good at that,” he says. “Everybody was amazing, it was one of the most triumphant nights that I’ll remember for a long time.”
Lanham, the vice president of The Addison, was also hesitant to participate, not only because of her shyness but also her medical scheduling as she undergoes cancer treatments. But when she saw that the dates could work, she decided to go for it. Not only did she feel good that she could help those in need, but the months of training with her dance instructor, James Brann, also helped her physically.
“He pushed me. He never looked at me like, ‘Oh, you just had surgery eight weeks ago or you have lymphedema in your arm or you have chemotherapy once a month.’ He looked at me like a very capable woman and he would push me to the max and made me feel really good and feel really empowered,” Lanham says.
A fitting choice, she and Brann danced to “I’m Still Standing” by Elton John. At the end of the night, it was revealed that she was the top fundraiser of the women dancers—and also broke the overall fundraising record previously held by Danielle Rosse.
“I will be happy to hand [that title] over to the next person because the winners are the students, the scholars,” Lanham says.
Boca magazine was proud to once again sponsor this incredible event. Learn more about the George Snow Scholarship Fund at scholarship.org.
