On May 11^th I had the pleasure, or pain as I would come to find out, of donning some pink high heels and walking down a runway in front of hundreds of people, including Charlotte’s own, Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst.  It was for a great cause and was to raise money for Dress for Success which aims to promote the economic independence of women by providing a network of support, professional attire, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. The Gambrell Foundation has been a long-time supporter of Dress For Success, and Sarah Belk Gambrell was honored with the 2014 Paradigm award.

I was able to raise almost $3k and the swagger in total raised almost $36k for the cause.  While my performance was less than stellar, I was able to stay upright, which could not be said for everyone on the runway.  Some guys brought their dogs, others brought their children, but everyone brought a sense of awkwardness.  The experience was a great time, not only for the participants, but for the crowd as well and we were able to raise some money which made it all worthwhile.

---

Matt Potter

Controller