We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jerry Anselmo a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jerry, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
My work ethic comes from my family. I watched my dad work double shifts to help keep the family afloat while my mother took care of the kids and her mother. The Italian immigrants came to the US to get a better life and thus they worked hard to make it in America.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I was born and raised in an Italian family from Saint Louis. I attended St. Margaret of Scotland elementary school and Saint Louis U. High. I graduated from Rockhurst College, was President of my Fraternity, met the woman of my dreams Mary Ellen Mitchell, and married her in 1969. I served honorably in the Air Force teaching English to Vietnamese helicopter pilots.
Mary Ellen and I had a very active life serving on many boards, coaching, cooking together and still found time to have 3 wonderful children in Julie, Lori and Brian. We are fortunate to spend time with their 3 grandkids, Massimo, Luca and Francesca. Going to their games, programs, etc. keeps them moving.
I started the BMA Foundation after my son, Brian, died unexpectedly. I started it in 2009 when the economy was at its worse. I wanted to keep his name alive and have an impact on our society with fundraising for children in our local community. We were successful right away. Our Dine and Dance with the Stars, where we bring in the stars from DWTS has been a huge success. That along with our golf tournament has allowed us to give away over $4 million since our inception. We have 10 local charities that we help through these events. You can go to bmafoundation.org and see what we are all about. My daughter, Julie, is the ED now and I am doing all the consulting and speaking about how I was able to take such a tragedy and make something positive in his name. Recently I have written a book about my journey. It’s called: When the Doorbell Rang. All proceeds go to the foundation in my son’s honor.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Faith, Sense of Humor, and relying on the best qualities you have to have a successful journey.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents gave me the opportunity to attend a Jesuit HS that changed the course of my life.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bmafoundation.org
- Facebook: BMA Foundation
- Twitter: BMAFoundationKC
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
