I AM Movement

Keep on moving!

I AM Movement is a women-owned (mother/daughter) wellness center for people with special needs and the elderly in Irvine, California. Other than senior centers or a token class at a fitness facility, the elderly and people with special needs are often overlooked and feel isolated. Our goal is to use fitness and friendship to create a community, empowering people so they can enhance their quality of life and be their own heroes.

Now you’re probably asking yourself, “what exactly does I AM Movement offer?” We’ll explain. Our anchor classes are Rock Steady Boxing and DanceAbility. Rock Steady Boxing is a non-combative exercise class that uses actual boxing drills plus other fun and quirky activities to target the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Why boxing? It conditions the body on multiple levels by working on balance, strength, flexibility, agility, hand-eye coordination, vocalization, and mental acuity. Parkinson’s is a progressive disease without a cure. Yet studies indicate that intense workouts that challenge its symptoms slow their progression so people can live fuller lives longer. Added bonus, boxing’s cathartic too.

DanceAbility is an all-inclusive creative movement class for people of all abilities and mobilities. A dancer’s expression is a personal thing. Some people move big while others move small. As a troupe, they practice the art of being together in a supportive and innovative environment. People with mobility devices are encouraged to join in the fun. 

Our Story

As luck would have it, I AM Movement was scheduled to open the week California went on lockdown in March 2020. While most of our classes were considered non-essential, our Rock Steady Boxing program is crucial otherwise people with PD would start to regress. So, we pivoted our business model and created a virtual PD fight team and eventually brought our masked boxers ringside.

To stay afloat during the pandemic storm, we had to use money set aside for advertising and equipment to pay our monthly business expenses. We need to start advertising to grow our business but lack the funds to do it, which is why we launched this I AM Movement campaign on the iFundWomen platform. There is so much potential for growth. The baby boomer generation is h-u-g-e and it’s just one of our target markets. There are activities for children with special needs, but there’s not much when they become young adults. We need to reach these markets so people know we exist. We can if you donate to I AM Movement’s advertising fund. We’d be ever so appreciative if you choose to help us help others. As a thank you, we will send you an I AM Movement gift for your donation of $25 or more. Pandemic restrictions continue to limit class sizes, which in turn impacts our revenue. So, any excess funds would be used to help cover monthly business expenses. If/when the restrictions are lifted, any excess funds would be used for I AM Movement wellness grants/scholarships.

It's nice to meet you

Meet the owners—Donnella (the mom) Andraos and Timorei (the daughter) Spaulding.  Donnella is a breast cancer survivor who is a firm believer in the benefits of boxing since Muay Thai and kickboxing helped her reclaim her life after chemo-brain. Timorei studied dance and business in college with an emphasis on psychology. Her dream was to one day open a wellness center.  We teamed with the Small Business Development Center and made her dream a reality. Please consider donating to I AM Movement’s advertising fund so we can help people with special needs and the elderly thrive.