Today’s Spotlight is still years from
being a Menopausebarbee, but she encompasses having heart in all her
endeavors. Seeing that having heart is the focus this month, I am
thrilled to introduce Patti Savoy!

When Patti and I first met, we
immediately became sisters. The women in our friendship group call her
LP (Little Patti), but trust me, it’s only Patti’s physique that is
small.

LP 2nd from right

Patti has numerous causes she champions. As
many readers may recall, Patti launched the Save the Tiger bracelet
campaign- gaining state wide attention on the travesty that less than
3200 Tigers are in the wild.

A former cheerleader, track and
volleyball star, Patti has recently signed up for what might be her most
aggressive undertaking to date! On March 2, Patti will take the stage
to dance in Seattle Dances as a benefit for Plymouth Housing. Yes she
will be doing the Lindy Hop to stomp out homelessness!

Patti and I
have “coffee talk” each morning where we catch up on daily activities.
One day, in early January, Patti called and shared that she was asked
if she would consider participating in this worthy dance off charity. Fast
forward six weeks, I see signs of what an undertaking her saying YES has
been. The abused feet, pulled hamstring, and bruises on various parts
of her body are some of the tell tell signs that Patti has stamina and
determination, but most of all a HUGE Heart!

In addition to the
stress of a strenuous work out and learning the routine, this month,
Patti lost Geneva, a women she considered a mother figure for 11 years.
Geneva was
just shy of 96 years old, and Patti was so devoted to their friendship
that every Monday they
met, played cards and Scrabble, played the piano, drew pictures with
pastels and drank Geneva’s favorite; Jack Daniels with a splash of
water. Patti and
Geneva frequently could be spotted driving down I-5 after
staying the night at local casinos. The pain of this loss has been immense, but Patti decided she
would honor her commitment and dance for Geneva as if she was in the
audience as she had planned to be.

It is fitting that Patti is dancing the fast paced Lindy Hop! The history of this dance is interesting:

The
History of Lindy Hop begins in the African American communities of Harlem, New York during the late 1920s in conjunction with swing jazz. Lindy Hop is closely related to earlier African American vernacular dances but quickly gained its own fame through dancers in films, performances,
competitions, and professional dance troupes. It became especially
popular in the 1930s with the invention of aerials.

It
is also coincidental that Patti’s last name is Savoy and the famous Savoy
Ballroom was the first ballroom to allow different ethnic races to dance openly.

The Savoy Ballroom was a medium sized ballroom for music and public dancing located at 596 Lenox Avenue, between 140th and 141st Streets in Harlem, New York City ^[1] . It was in operation from March 12, 1926 to July 10, 1958.^<[2] It was owned by white entrepreneurs Jay Faggen and a reputed Jewish gangster, Moe Gale, who some say was a front for Al Capone. It was managed by African-American real estate business man Charles Buchanon. Unlike many ballrooms such as the Cotton Club,
the Savoy always had a no-discrimination policy. Generally, the
clientele was 85% black and 15% white, although sometimes there was an
even 50/50 split.

Patti and
her partner, Mark Kihara, with his Chinese and Japanese roots, would not
have been allowed to dance in most ballrooms.

Patti is doing her
part, so please do yours- go online right now and VOTE FOR PATTI SAVOY!
A minimum donation of $10 will help shelter the needy.

https://phg.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/SeattleDances2013/VoteforPattiSavoy/tabid/433150/Default.aspx