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Home » Fitness » Spin class at Vive fitness center benefits Habitat for Humanity – Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

KINGSTON More than five dozen attendees made their way to Vive Health and Fitness Saturday morning, ready to sweat it out for a good cause.

The gym held its second annual Spin for Habitat, offering three spinning classes to help benefit the Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity. Classes were 50 minutes of high-intensity resistance training and designed for all levels of cyclers, ranging from long-distance to hills and intervals. Instructors Diane Butwin and Sean Tompkins headed the groups.

The event was created to go in part with the Spencer Martin Memorial Bike Ride for Habitat, which will take place Sunday in the Back Mountain. In its ninth year, the 35-mile bike ride was created in memory of Spencer Martin, who was an avid Habitat for Humanity volunteer and former organization president.

While Martin wasnt involved in the cycling community, Wyoming Valley Habitat Executive Director Karen Evans Kaufer said the organization wanted to find a way to honor his memory and continue the organizations mission, and the bike ride was born. To honor Martin and assist Habitat for Humanity, Martins daughter and granddaughter, Kim and Hillary Koehl, attended one of the spinning sessions at Vive and were greeted with applause from attendees.

In the Wyoming Valley for the past 25 years, the Habitat for Humanity builds simple, decent homes to sell to families who would not qualify for homeownership otherwise. Traditionally, the organization builds at least one house per year, with more than 25 homes built in the area overall.

Currently, Habitat is working on a house in Parsons, then moving to a Pittston location upon its completion. The organization relies on volunteers for labor and donated materials to build the homes, which helps keep the selling costs low and mortgages manageable for recipients.

Another source of funding for the Wyoming Valley Habitat is their ReStore. Located in Nanticoke, the Restore sells unused donated building materials for the projects at a steep discount, supplying buyers with great deals and helping to continue funding for more homes.

Habitat is a hand up not a hand out, Kaufer said. I think a lot of people have the impression that we give these houses away for free, and that is not what we do. Our homeowners have a stake in their homeownership, they pay a mortgage just like you and me, and theyve contributed these many hours of sweat equity they need to have a downpayment. We want people that own our homes to be invested in their community.

Sweat equity, she said, is what the program calls the 200 hours of volunteer labor an applicant must complete on building their home before sealing the deal. Once the hours are complete, the hours translate into a down payment and the applicant can then become a homeowner. While recipients of a Habitat home do pay a mortgage, they have a zero-interest rate, with all payments funding the next house being built.

Kaufer also added that aside from the sweat equity, an intensive application also comes with a home, adding that the process can take roughly one year to complete. It includes various background checks and interviews with family members, friends and more. Applicants must also earn between 30 to 60 percent of the countys median income and live within Luzerne County for at least a year, she said.

This is not a quick-fix. Its not an emergency housing fix for anyone. Its someone who can dedicate the time and energy into helping build their own home, she said.

As members of the second group came out of the spinning class sweaty, a new group was ready to go in for the third and final class of the day.

Habitat for Humanity Vice President and Vive member Kevin Engelman thanked the attendees and explained how their contribution will help someone in the Wyoming Valley get their first home. An admitted lover of cycling, Engelman said it made sense to add an indoor cycling event to the outdoor bike ride.

We wanted to provide a component that would allow riders who dont ride outside to come in and enjoy a great facility, and really allow more people to enjoy and help out the community, he said of the event. So we brought the Wyoming Valley Habitat and Vive together last year and were able to start the indoor event here, and its really taken off.

He said that the community has had a great response to both events, bringing in both indoor and outdoor cyclists, as well as regular residents.

Vive general manager Heather Stearns said the fitness center is more than happy to participate in community events, and is honored to assist the Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Vive is very big with doing community events that sponsor whole and health wellness, she said. This is our second year working with Habitat to give back to community, to help a deserving family of community get a home that may not be able to otherwise.

Kevin Engleman, Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity vice president, thanks the spinning class thanking for their contribution.

http://timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_HabitatHumanityVibe1.jpegKevin Engleman, Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity vice president, thanks the spinning class thanking for their contribution.

Bonnie Asman, of Kingston, participates in the spin event at Vibe Health and Fitness for Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity on Saturday morning.

http://timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_HabitatHumanityVibe2.jpegBonnie Asman, of Kingston, participates in the spin event at Vibe Health and Fitness for Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity on Saturday morning.

Vibe Health & Fitness spin instructor Sean Tompkins, right, conducts the class benefitting Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity.

http://timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_HabitatHumanityVibe3.jpgVibe Health & Fitness spin instructor Sean Tompkins, right, conducts the class benefitting Wyoming Valley Habitat for Humanity.

Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.

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Spin class at Vive fitness center benefits Habitat for Humanity - Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

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Home » Fitness » Spin class at Vive fitness center benefits Habitat for Humanity – Wilkes Barre Times-Leader