by James Coulter
K.C. Wilson knows how to win big. Not only does he land big deals making trades as a senior portfolio analyst, but he also lands big jumps as a record-holding slalom skier, what with him being a Jr. U.S. National Slalom Record holder, according to his bio on CPS Investment Advisors website.
So, it only makes sense that this winning analyst and slalom skier managed to win the prestigious title of Mr. Central Florida, the annual fundraiser for the Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center (CFSHC). K.C. Wilson won the title with more than 45,500 votes at the ceremony at Bonnet Springs Park Event Center on Saturday evening.
His company has had a long partnership with the Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center. Inspired by his personal experiences concerning hearing and speech issues, Wilson was inspired to compete in this year’s competition by raising money for the annual fundraiser.
“It feels good,” he said. “We have seen the impact of the center in the community. It feels good with a lot of supporters. We know what the center is doing…Seeing everyone else participate motivates and inspires me to make an impact on the community as well.”
The 11th Annual Mr. Central Florida was hosted this year by Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center (CFSHC), a local non-profit treatment facility dedicated to assisting patients with their speech, language, and hearing disorders.
The fundraising event involves several volunteers raising money on their behalf throughout the year. The participant who raises the most money is named Mr. Central Florida.
President Roxann Bonta, CFSHC President/CEO, commended the crowd that evening for their donations, which allows her organization to assist people young and old overcome their speech and hearing problems.
“I think you all know why we are here,” she said. “We are here to celebrate. You allow us to celebrate. We do so much, but we could not do it without you…the people who do the hard work, day in and day out. We put on services for language, speech, and hearing. A special thank you to everyone who is here supporting this cause. We could not do it without you. You make the center work.”
This year’s event was hosted at Bonnet Springs Park Event Center at Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland. Throughout the evening, attendees could wine, dine, listen to live music, and place bids on silent auction items.
For more than 60 years, the Central Florida Speech & Hearing Center has served the Greater Lakeland community by assisting people with their speech and hearing problems. According to their website, last year alone, they provided their patients with more than 2,000 hearing services and more than 600 speech and language services.
One such notable patient was a young boy named Ayden, whose story was shared in that evening’s event program. When his mother discovered that her son was not properly developing his language skills as an infant, she took him to the center to receive evaluation and therapy.
“In six months, Ayden was showing play skills, following simple directions, copying words, gesturing and vocalizing for objects,” the program read. “Today, Ayden understands language within normal limits…His progress and success are what every Speech/Language Pathologist dreams of for their patients.”
