Think outside the box. That’s what GoodLife Group Fitness Instructor and Team Training Coach Jean Reis tells other Associates who are looking to help raise money and awareness for the GoodLife Kids Foundation and Spin4Kids. It is also the strategy Jean has employed throughout her 9 years with GoodLife, becoming a true champion of the Kids Foundation in the process.
Jean’s home Club is North York Victoria Terrace, where she strives to change lives through the Classes and Bootcamps that she teaches. She was named an Instructor of Excellence in 2017, has twice earned Top-5 recognition for the Henry Berg Impact Award, and has been nominated as a Top 500 Associate each year since 2013.
But while helping others achieve their fitness goals is a priority in her life, it is not her full-time job. Jean has been a sign language interpreter for 20 years and currently works within a high school in the York Region District School Board. Sign language has been a passion for Jean since she came across the ASL alphabet as a child, so a progression through George Brown College’s interpretation program was a natural path to a career in the discipline.
Jean’s passion for helping children with special needs made for an obvious connection to the GoodLife Kids Foundation. She was an ambassador for the Foundation right from the start, planning her own events that inspired the eventual creation of Spin4Kids. In one of her first years with GoodLife, Jean ran a 2-hour bootcamp along with a 2-hour spinning event and raised over $5,000 for the Foundation.
Jean’s innovative thinking continued, and in the following years she commissioned the Good Food, Good Life cookbook filled with favourite recipes collected from Members at her local Clubs. This idea represented a common mission for Jean. For her, the question was never, “how do I ask people for money?” but rather, “how do I give something in return for their money?”
This was reflected in the various events that Jean would create. From special Group Fitness Classes to an annual charity poker tournament, her ideas were always creative and entertaining, and they always provided immense value to all involved. Her commitment to the GoodLife Kids Foundation has rubbed off on other Members and Associates too, which has led to fun ideas like button making and a yearly tennis tournament.
Jean has always had a clear passion for helping improve the lives of children with special needs, and she says that the GoodLife Kids Foundation plays an incredibly important role in accomplishing that goal.
“To have these children involved in anything extra curricular, they need support, and that support is expensive,” says Jean. “But when they are able to participate, and have fun, and get active, they’re the happiest kids you’ll ever see. That’s why I’m so passionate about this cause, and why I enjoy working with the GoodLife Kids Foundation year after year.”
GoodLife Kids Foundation Ambassadors like Jean are incredibly important to the success of events like Spin4Kids and made major contributions to the $920,000 raised through Spin4Kids in 2018. If you or someone you know is committed to breaking down barriers and helping kids with special needs get active, share your story for a chance to be featured!