DOUG LINDLEY/IDAHO STATE JOURNAL
The Parker family including from left, Rosalie, 3, Eileen, Micah, 1 and Benjamin were at the Zumbathon fundraiser for Benjamin who is a teacher at Stockard Elementary in Blackfoot and is suffering from cancer. The Zumbathon fundraiser was at the Shoshone-Bannock Hotel Saturday night at Fort Hall. For a photo gallery, see idahostatejournal.com.
BY DEBBIE BRYCE
For the Journal
FORT HALL — It’s fun, it’s invigorating and it’s a heck of a workout, and Saturday, a 90-minute Zumbathon in Fort Hall supported a good cause as well.
Monica Navarez, owner and instructor at MPower Group Fitness Studios in Blackfoot, said the studio and its 200 members do a fundraiser every month, and when she heard about Benjamin Parker, a second-grade teacher at Donald D. Stalker Elementary School, Navarez decided that he would be the recipient of fundraising efforts in February.
Parker, a father of two, is currently being treated for reoccurring testicular cancer.
Parker received 25 chemotherapy treatments and he said his prognosis is good. He sat on the sidelines and watched the 200 supporters who took part in the Party for Parker, held at the Fort Hall Hotel and Convention Center.
Parker’s wife, Eileen Marie Parker, and his 2-year old daughter, Rosalie Parker, a talkative toddler who sported two thick ponytails for the event, danced with the crowd, while 1-year old Micah, watched from his dad’s lap.
“I’m very grateful to all the people who came out to support our cause,” Parker said.
Zumba is a dance fitness program created by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez during the 1990s.
Navarez, a pretty, petite orb of energy, fired up the crowd Saturday with one dance after another, Zumba, she explained, is dance and aerobics with a Latin flare.
Each participant paid $10 to take part in the Zumbathon.
Teresa Edmo said she’s been a member of MPower for the past two years, she came out Saturday to support a good cause and because Zumba is a lot of fun.
“(Navarez) is a very good motivator,” Edmo said.
Navarez said her studio’s motto is “helping others the most fun way possible.”
Parker was originally diagnosed with cancer in 2010, he received treatment at that time, but the disease returned last year.
“I told my students that I wasn’t feeling well, but that the doctors were taking good care of me,” Parker said. “Staying positive is the very best medicine, and I have a great deal of support, my principal, Hal Silzly and my staff have done so much to help me.”
To contribute to the Party for Parker, or more information about MPower, text Navarez at (208) 520-5228.