Volunteer Naomi Gonzalez guides about 40 dancers twice a week in the corpsâ parking lot.
Lately, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, The Salvation Army Salinas (California) Corps parking lot is fullânot so much with cars but with women, mostly seniors, enjoying a Zumba-based dance workout led by volunteer instructor, Naomi Gonzalez.
The outdoor activity highlights the creative problem-solving of Lts. Ezequiel and Katherine Hernandez, who arrived in Salinas for their first appointment as Salvation Army officers in July 2020, in the midst of the pandemic.
Salinas is one of the larger communities in Northern California and the county seat of Monterey County. The appointment surprised the new lieutenants.
âI thought a mistake had been made,â Katherine Hernandez said. âThen, while praying about it, this peace came over me. I heard God telling me, âThis is where I want you to be.ââ
The Hernandezes learned the corpsâ senior programming was particularly successful, with classes ranging from line-dancing to guitar, along with a drop-in center where seniors could come for a meal.
![](https://caringmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/09-23-21-SalinasFinals-0007-400x267.jpg)
âWhat surprised us when we arrived was the response of the communityâespecially the seniors and how much they missed the corpsâ programs and just coming to the corps community center to hang out,â Katherine Hernandez said. âThey had been stuck in their homes for months, which was especially difficult for those who lived alone.â
For older adults, the effects of social isolation can be especially detrimental. According to the National Council on Agingâs Kathleen Zuke, community organizationsâlike The Salvation Armyâare one of the best sources of help.
The corps was able to continue providing food at drive-through pick-ups, but the Hernandezes wanted to meet the seniorsâ need for community. They learned that Gonzalez might be willing to teach a senior fitness class. In September 2020, when Katherine Hernandez met Gonzalez, she pitched the idea of holding the class outdoors in the corpsâ parking lot.
Gonzalez agreed, and within days began teaching a weekly class on Thursdays. Twelve women showed up for the first session, but the numbers grew quickly and a Tuesday class was added. About 40 people attend each session, including a few men.
âThe response has been amazing,â Hernandez said. âThereâs a power in coming together. Itâs not just about Sundays; itâs every day. COVID really opened our eyes to what the church can do beyond the four walls…We asked ourselves, âWhat can we do outside?ââ
The answer was clear: move the programming outdoors.
![](https://caringmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/09-23-21-SalinasFinals-0008-400x267.jpg)
âItâs amazing to see Naomi in her element, and how she interacts with the class,â Hernandez said. âSheâs an advocate for living a healthy lifestyle.â
In addition to aerobic exercise, Gonzalez includes movements to improve balance.
âThis is very important as you grow older,â participant Teresa Ortiz said. âThe class is also an opportunity to socialize outside your home.â
Gonzalez, herself a grandmother, knows the importance of movement. Teaching the class keeps her in shape both physically and mentally.
âIâm a two-time breast cancer survivor,â Gonzalez said. âBecause of that I need to keep moving, and as a petite person, for my bones to be strong and sturdy. And for my memoryâchemo affects your memory, as does age. Memorizing the dance moves helps with that.â
She began volunteering at the corps after first attending the line-dancing class. After the Hernandezes heard about her from the line-dancing instructor, they quickly recruited her as a volunteer instructor.
Although the pandemic halted those first sessions, the class resumed and is thriving.
âItâs about coming together, too, especially after a year of isolation,â Gonzalez said. The activity attracts attention from residents at two apartment buildings that flank the corps and from people driving by.
âWord of mouth is whatâs really responsible for the growth, though,â she said. âI get two to four new people at each class.â
Class member Esther Bench said Gonzalez is an excellent teacher, âInclusive and encouragingâŠ[and] I appreciate that The Salvation Army let us have class outdoors when all other facilities were closed during the worst of the pandemic.â
![](https://caringmagazine.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/09-23-21-SalinasFinals-0010-400x267.jpg)
For Jessie Pablo, the experience is about self-expression: âWhen Iâm dancing, I feel myself free and alive.â
Although the class could take place indoors, Gonzalez didnât want to risk it, especially as attendance increased. She said she sprayed dots in the parking lot, 7â10 feet apart, for people to stand, and everyone wears a mask.
âItâs all for safety,â she said, adding they have had no incidents of exposure to the virus.
Gonzalez credits the Hernandezes, acknowledging they came at a difficult time and havenât let anything stand in their way.
âThis class is a success because of Lts. Hernandez, for believing in me and the class members…because without the members there wouldnât be a class,â she said. âI am truly grateful.â
As for Gonzalez, she has increased her activity at the corps. She volunteers at the food bank and participates in womenâs ministries, and her husband attends the guitar class. They both attend worship services.
âTheyâre part of the church now,â Hernandez said. âTheyâve fallen in love with The Salvation Army and its mission.â
Do Good:
- Youâve probably seen the red kettles and thrift stores, and while weâre rightfully well known for bothâŠThe Salvation Army is so much more than red kettles and thrift stores. So who are we? What do we do? Where? Right this way for Salvation Army 101.
- Need some extra motivation to do good today? Follow Caring Magazine on Instagram for inspiring stories, podcasts and more to get you in the Fight for Good.
- Subscribe to the Do Gooders Podcast and tune in for good ideas. Get inspiration from the experts on how to do good and find meaning along the wayâand join thousands in making an impact for good right where you are.