Judy Young & Angie Shin

In 2011, we met in Angie's Saturday morning Zumba class at the Oakland YMCA.  Every Saturday morning we'd dance then stay after class to chat.  We discovered we shared many things in common and became fast friends.  In 2015, Judy decided to become a Zumba instructor and was hired to teach at the Y on Sunday morning. We started visiting each other's classes, even showing up wearing matching outfits. One day, we decided to partner up to host a Zumbathon charity event, collaborating with other Zumba instructors in the local area. Our first event was a huge success, raising thousands of dollars for a small non-profit. We loved collaborating with other instructors and bringing the Zumba exerience to another level!  We were hooked and knew we had to do it again!  We continued teaching regularly at the Y and hosting Zumbathon charity event every year until the pandemic hit in 2020.  Our immediate response was to figure out a way to use Zumba to keep people connected and active. We decided to team up to teach virtural classes in Angie's backyard and launched on March 20, 2020. We made a promise to teach classes daily to help people cope while sheltering in place. We had no idea it would go on for years but we persevered. Despite the many challenges, we continued to teach virtual and eventually in-person, —something every day to keep people moving. Along the way, we managed to establish non-profit 501(c)(3) status and have since donated over $45,000 to local non-profit organizations in need. Our mission goes beyond movement; it's about building community, philanthropy, and wellness through connecting. 

The passion lives on and going strong!