New moms fundraise for employees of their favorite salsa dance club
DENVER — As if being a mom wasn’t hard enough, several new moms in the Denver salsa dancing community made time to fundraise for employees of La Rumba, their favorite Latin dance club.
Although nationwide birth rates are actually down, women in the Denver salsa dancing community experienced a mini baby boom.
On top of all the responsibilities, stress and work that come with being a mom, Erin Vazquez, Meredith Fisher and Briony Wilson made time to think about someone else. “While we were pregnant, just craving, missing to be connected,” explained Fisher. Craving to dance and craving to be there for each other.
“I didn’t even realize there were so many of us," she said, "which is why we decided to get this thing together.”
The idea of a "mommy and me" salsa calendar was born, and the proceeds are going to employees of La Rumba.
“La Rumba quickly became my home away from home,” said Wilson.
Each woman explained La Rumba as more than just a club: It’s a place they feel safe, welcomed, and a part of community.
Danny Dawson has been working at La Rumba for 20 years. She was the last to put her job on hold because of the pandemic. She’s one of the employees the moms wanted to help, but Dawson had something else in mind.
“I was so touched, incredibly grateful,” said Dawson, who decided to pay the kindness forward. “I’m just divvying it up between the four employees that do not have any other work and have been completely out during the shutdown. I am not including myself in that.”
She said she’s been receiving unemployment and will be okay, but her colleagues are the ones she is worried about. “Top to bottom, throughout this whole thing I think that’s an important lesson for us as a society to learn: be a community, help each other out,” she said.
Sonia Gutierrez is a multimedia journalist at Rocky Mountain PBS. You can reach her at soniagutierrez@rmpbs.org.