Helios Center's Jenna Wilayto takes the lead...

Here's another of the stories you'll find in the Pilates Style ProZone article referenced in the "Sweet Charity" Open Thread post above. Read how Jenna Wilayto, owner of Chicago's Helios Center for Movement, responded to a critical and potentially life-threatening family medical crisis by transforming some of her experiences into a deeply-rooted giving back to her community:

"A personal connection motivated
Jenna Wilayto, owner of Helios Center
for Movement in Chicago. “My mother’s
recovery from breast cancer inspired me
to use my business as a resource to help
others with similar diseases,” Wilayto
says.

First she started donating proceeds
from studio events to Pilates for Pink, a
national fund-raising effort for the Breast
Cancer Research Foundation. Then she
began teaching movement classes to
members of Gilda’s Club, a cancer support
group named for the late comedian
Gilda Radner.

“I don’t pretend that I can
erase the experience of the disease,”
Wilayto says. “I simply share the joy of
movement and hope that I make a difference
in these women’s lives.” Wilayto
benefited too: Working with a new population
expanded her teaching skills and
professional network."

Have any of you done something similar in your community? Any questions for Jenna? Comments?

Kyria