Families and neighbors of Fairmount and Mallinson elementary schools in Independence have been active this year with new Zumba classes held at Mt. Washington United Methodist Church. 

Jennifer Stone, site coordinator at Fairmount and Mallinson elementary schools, organized the classes, which ran on Thursday evenings from February 6 to March 13, with the assistance of a local certified instructor.

"This is the first time we've offered Zumba in our neighborhood," said Stone. "There are no gyms or places to do organized group exercise."

Participants in the Zumba classes range in age from six to 76. Multilingual instruction is offered for the Hispanic, Polynesian, and Samoan participants.  

Stone hopes to expand the classes in the future to include more classes a week. 

"The families asked for this opportunity to exercise together," she said. "The church we meet in loves having people in their building, it's a perfect match". 

Coming up

Thursday, March 27, residents can participate in Zumba during Family Game Night and enjoy hot dogs, nachos and games. 

To learn more contact Jennifer Stone at 816-521-5405, ext. 41217 or jstone@kclinc.org