In a day of spinning, yoga and Zumba, 23 teams raised more than $85,000 for Meals on Wheels when they took part in Leadership Cayman’s ‘Wheels for Meals’ challenge at Vital Spinbar & Yogaden in Grand Harbour on Saturday.
The total raised by the teams, who invited family, friends and community members to sponsor them, is still being tallied so it is likely even more donations will be coming in. All the money raised will go towards providing free meals to the elderly and housebound in the Cayman Islands.
Among the gung-ho spinners on Saturday was Ashvin Murugesu, who spent nearly five hours on a stationary exercise bike, interspersed with a half-hour of yoga. His efforts alone raised more than $3,000.
“I wanted to challenge myself and try at least to make a bit more incentive for the people who sponsored me,” he told the Compass.
Cayman National investment advisor Murugesu, who is a member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Cayman class of 2023, said that before Saturday, he’d taken part in just four 45-minute sessions of spin classes, meaning he did more spinning on the single day at the fundraiser than he had ever done before.
“But, I really enjoyed it, it was a lot of fun. I told the people at Vital I’d definitely go back there. I think I’m hooked now,” he said.
He took part in five 45-minute sessions, one of which included 30 minutes of yoga.
Despite hours on a bike, he said, “I think the yoga was worse. I’m not a yoga person, so that was very challenging.”
Murugesu reckons he burned more than 2,000 calories on the day, but admits, “Then, I ate it all back.”
Meals on Wheels general manager Jennifer West, said the fundraiser was a timely event, “not only for helping provide thousands of hot meals but to also provide funds towards the future home of Meals on Wheels”.
She added, “The Leadership Cayman Class of 2023 voted to support Meals on Wheels for their community project and this brings the important element of the raised awareness of the struggle so many seniors face each day for access to nutritious meals and a break from loneliness.
“We appreciate the outpouring of the community for this incredible event, especially to the venue sponsors at Vital Spinbar and Yogaden, Hurley’s Marketplace, Allora Bakery, Club of Grand Cayman and each company and individual who made it possible.”
Mehr Petkovsek, one of the organisers of the event and a Leadership Cayman class member, explained that 23 teams of up to five people participated in back-to-back spin and kids Zumba classes.
“Our event was fully prescribed in advance and we had great turn-out on the day with full spin classes, community attendance and participation in our raffle,” she said.
She added that Vital Cayman Spinbar & Yogaden hosted the event free of charge “as a way of supporting the community that supports them”.
Petkovsek said events like this are important to demonstrate how a community can come together as public, private and non-profit organisations and community members in support of a cause. “We raise money, but we were also able to raise awareness of the work of Meals on Wheels and allow people to learn more about Vital Spinbar & Yogaden as a small business in our community,” she said.
Each year, the Leadership Cayman class picks a charity to support and organises a fundraising event.
Petkovsek said this year’s class chose Meals on Wheels for its annual community service project “given the significant impact Meals on Wheels has within our community, and the urgent need for more funding and volunteers in this time of growing demand”.
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