With the one-year anniversary of her Ashburn fitness studio, DivaFit, approaching, owner Lisa Peklo knew she had to do something special. So when someone mentioned doing a fund-raiser for breast cancer research, Peklo knew she had found what she was looking for.
"We’re all women here and it’s such a personal issue for us as women," Peklo said. "It just made sense to combine our anniversary celebration with the fund-raiser."
Saturday, Sept. 8, just one day shy of the date Peklo opened her doors for business, DivaFit will host a five-hour fund-raiser at its Ashburn studio.
Peklo and the other instructors at the studio will hold six 30-minutes classes in everything from pole and chair dancing to strip aerobics. And the classes, Peklo said, are not just for the experienced.
"Any of the classes would be appropriate for someone just starting out or someone who just wants to drop by," she said.
At 3 p.m., some of the studio level 6 dancers, the highest level a dancer can achieve, will give demonstrations of some of the things they have learned. DivaFit instructors will also be on hand to showcase some of the things they teach, Peklo said.
"It will be a lot of fun to watch," she said. "They’ve been working on this for a while."
While there is no official charge for the classes, there is a suggested donation of $15, with 100 percent of the money taken in going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
"We’re also going to be holding different raffles throughout the day," Peklo said. "The raffles are free with your donation."
Among the items to be raffled are classes at DivaFit and the popular "save the ta-tas" T-shirts.
Walk-ins for the classes will be welcome on the day of the fund-raiser, but Peklo suggests interested women call ahead and sign up for a class.
"The classes with poles are limited because we have a limited number of poles," she said. "The Smokin’ Hot Striptease class is getting close to full."
Those people who might not be ready to dance themselves are welcome to come by the DivaFit studio, drop off a donation or even observe a class.
"We welcome everyone to come by," she said.
— Erika Jacobson