Jay Watkins, born in Wisconsin, has always loved to dance and quickly became good at it. Becoming a ballroom dance instructor was a natural progression. Jay soon moved to Florida and opened the Jay Watkins Palm Beach Ballroom and Latin Dance Club. His skills have taken him all over Europe, South America and Hawaii.
 

In 2003, Jay Watkins was walking through the parking garage at his condo when he saw a young mother with her two children who were having difficulties walking. The mother explained that her children had Sickle-Cell Anemia, a blood disorder.

 

Since then, Mr. Watkins, of West Palm Beach, has been a volunteer with the Sickle Cell Foundation, organizing Christmas partied for kids with Sickle Cell. Besides the parties, he has arranged dance lessons and carriage rides for the children.

 

He founded the Jay Watkins Fund to help Sickle-Cell patients with their un-met needs. The Sickle Cell Foundation honored him for his work with an award during the 2010 Annual Eva W. Mack Luncheon.

 

“Sickle Cell is a devastating disease,” he said. “I enjoy helping the kids.”