Jazzercisers in Aliso Viejo Break a Sweat for Charity

Combining her passion for Jazzercise with her compassion for patients at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Susan Assad is teaching Jazzercise classes to raise money for the hospital and awareness for its CHOC Follies charity event.

Sunday morning, Jazzercisers gathered at the in Aliso Viejo to break a sweat for charity. Led by Assad, they used body weight, free-weight, and resistance band exercises to improve their fitness, while they used their donations for the class to improve the lives of children at CHOC.

“The class was great and it benefits a good cause,” said Alice Nathanson of Laguna Beach, who participated in Assad’s inaugural fundraising class.

Toni Reiner, a Jazzerciser for 20 years, recommends the class to anyone who wants to get their workout done early and enjoy the rest of their day.

“Nothing gets Sundays off to a better start. Especially Oscar Sunday—you’ve got your workout done for the day and you can go home and relax, have some champagne and watch the Oscars,” Reiner said.

CHOC Follies is an annual fundraising event produced by a volunteer theater group. This year marks the 15th year of CHOC Follies, which has raised more than $5 million for the hospital. Their current production, Christina and the Crystal Ball: A Cinderella Story for the Social Net Set is a modern musical adaptation of Cinderella. The production runs from March 29-31 at the Robert B. Moore Theater at Orange Coast College.

Assad, a retired middle school teacher, became involved with CHOC Follies as a cast member after talking with a friend who is involved with the annual charity production.

“I reconnected with an old high school friend at a reunion and since I finally had more time, I jumped right in. It’s a riot, it’s a lot of fun,” she said.

Assad began teaching Jazzercise 25 years ago. After becoming involved with CHOC Follies, she decided to use her Jazzercise classes as a vehicle to raise money for CHOC.

“Fundraisers are very common in the Jazzercise community. I was involved in one in 2009 with six other instructors and we raised money for the American Liver Foundation. I figured I could do the same for CHOC,” Assad said.

To set things in motion, Assad began a word-of-mouth campaign over the Internet and telephone to find a space to hold her classes. When Sandra Casado of the Dance Palace in Aliso Viejo heard about Assad’s need, she donated the use of her dance studio.

Assad’s next class will be held at the same location on March 4 at 9 a.m. The requested minimum donation for each class is $15. Those who have purchased tickets to the CHOC Follies production may use their receipt for free admission to Assad’s class. She encourages people of all ages and fitness levels to join her class help the children of CHOC.

“We can scale workouts to match your fitness level. Jazzercise is dance-based, so it helps improve balance and footwork, which anyone can benefit from,” she said.

Assad also wanted to remind people that even if they don’t attend her class, they can still donate to CHOC directly through their website.

For more information regarding the Jazzercise fundraiser, call Assad at 949-588-3239 or email her at suzassad@cox.net.