Zumba class grows

WAGAP’s weekly fitness class has side benefits

White Salmon (January 29, 2025) - If you build it, they will come. This famous movie quote from the 1989 Field of Dreams has special meaning for Mary Solorio, a Community Health Worker for Pathways Health Connect, a program of Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP). 

Last September, she helped WAGAP start a free Zumba class on Fridays from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Mt. View Grange in White Salmon and hoped people would come. The first night, WAGAP offered a $10 gift card promotion. What started with six people at that original session has grown to over 20 regular weekly participants.

“There’s been a lot of interest,” Solorio said. She started with one volunteer instructor and now has three to help cover the sessions. “Some people are initially nervous because they think they can't do it if they are not dancers. I tell them I’m not a good dancer, and I’ll be happy to stand with them in the back of the room, which helps give them confidence.”

The class can be modified for all ages and fitness levels. Solorio even has one woman over 80 years old who regularly participates. “Anyone can do it,” she said, “and it’s fun.”

She was inspired by free Zumba and yoga classes offered by One Community Health in the Hood River. For local Washington residents, the cost of bridge toll, gas, and travel time often prevented them from taking advantage of the chance to participate. Then, last summer, Solorio met a local Zumba dance fitness instructor, Sarahi Olvera, in White Salmon, who is passionate about volunteering.

Solorio wanted her clients and community members to have an option in the White Salmon-Bingen area, so she created this new opportunity and hoped people would join the fun. She was right. “Now we have so many we have filled up the space at the Grange,” she said.

During the day, Solorio helps clients manage their care, including preventing mental and physical health problems. She initially worked with the Hispanic community but said the Zumba class is becoming multicultural with Spanish and English speakers, and she couldn’t be happier.

Solorio’s clients come from a variety of backgrounds, including those who have experienced domestic violence. She said it is important for them to socialize and create a new circle of friends as they go on their healing journey.

“So many people need an outlet for self-care, and I wanted to give them a chance to exercise and be social,” Solorio said. “The Hispanic community has a lot of stigma toward therapy, and holding a group Zumba class is a fun way for everyone to dance and then talk afterward in a safe environment.”

The classes are made possible through equity grant funding from the Inatai Foundation, which covers the rental space and a small fuel stipend for the instructor. With the ongoing success, Solorio hopes they may be able to offer a second class soon. She is considering offering a different day of the week, perhaps in the morning, so other community members can join in the fun.

Classes are free and open to all community members. For questions about the Friday evening Zumba sessions at the Mt. View Grange Hall at 1085 N. Main Avenue in White Salmon, contact the instructor, Sarahi Olvera, at 806-315-2677. 

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Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.