Zumba for a good cause

By: BY MARIA HOWARD | Times-Dispatch
Published: September 13, 2009

Fitness By now you've heard about Zumba. But did you know you can Zumba for a good cause? And you don't need a gym membership to do it.

The second Zumba for a Cause party will be held next Sunday at Gordon Elementary School in Chesterfield County. For $10 -- all of which goes to charity -- you can Zumba for two hours with three local instructors who felt a need to turn the party class into a fundraising opportunity.

Zumba is a Latin dance exercise format that is more about fun than working out. In fact, several Zumba promoters use the slogan: Ditch the workout and join the party.

As a Zumba instructor myself, I can assure you it's a good time. If you like to dance and you haven't tried it, you need to check it out. Zumba arrived in Richmond a few years ago when a couple of local instructors became certified to teach the format. The popularity spread from there.

In a typical class, there are plenty of Latin dance moves, such as salsa and merengue, along with loads of funky American twists that will make you smile.

Marcela Charris, who is from Colombia, where Zumba was created, teaches classes at ACAC Fitness & Wellness, Willow Oaks Country Club and other locations in the Richmond area.

She came up with the idea of organizing Zumba for a Cause. "We work every day, and we felt like we can change lives this way," she said.

Joined by Louann Hallock and Gina DeRusha, Charris put together the first Zumba for a Cause in April. It drew about 150 people and raised more than $1,500 for the construction of an AIDS hospice shelter in Cambodia.

The Zumba instructors partnered with Courthouse Road Seventh-day Adventist Church, which has been raising money for the AIDS shelter since it discovered the dire need for that type of facility in Cambodia.

"It is a very good cause," Charris said.

In addition, the Zumba event in April collected several dozen cans of food that were donated to the Central Virginia Foodbank.

Those two causes will be supported again at this month's Zumba for a Cause. In addition, Virginia Blood Services will be on hand to register potential donors.

That cause is especially important to Charris, whose daughter spent 18 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit when she was born and needed multiple blood transfusions.

"My daughter is fine now, thanks to so many people," Charris said.

So who is invited to the Zumba for a Cause event next week? Anybody and everybody.

You don't need Zumba experience, said Hallock, one of the organizers. In April, several participants were from Courthouse Road Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is nearby.

"Lots of them had never done it before and they had fun," Hallock said.

Don't be intimidated by the two-hour time frame, she added. Chairs and water will be available for anyone who needs to take a break.

Gordon Elementary was chosen because it's a centrally located school with a gym that has a stage. The gym floor is good for dancing, and the instructors can be on the stage.

"We put up some steps so we can go down and pull people to come up on stage with us," Hallock said.

One surprise from the first event was that several people donated more than the $10 minimum, she said. Of course, a Zumba class is supposed to be a feel-good, mood-lifting experience. So maybe it's not a surprise that people gave a little more.

"The atmosphere was just a ton of fun," Hallock said.
Maria Howard is a group exercise instructor for the YMCA of Greater Richmond. Her column runs every other week in Sunday Flair.