We are proud of the many accomplishments of our alumni, and especially proud when their Ramah experiences play a part!
Jake (left), one of the Zooz attendees, and Jake’s wife, Shahar.
Jake and Shahar met at Camp Ramah.
My name is Jake Weiner and I am the founder of ZOOZ Fitness. We create fitness & wellness programs for individuals of ALL Abilities. We focus on teaching functional training both in private and group sessions with the purpose of empowering individuals with developmental and other disabilities to become more physically active and live a healthier and more balanced lifestyle. I have been working with the special needs community for many years in various settings such as adult vocational day programs, religious schools, community programs, non-profits, and summer camps – Hey Ezra Staff! While working in all of these programs it became clear that one of the greatest challenges that individuals with developmental and other disabilities face is a lack of movement related activities in the community that promote health and wellness. Many individuals with special needs are developing sedentary habits, gain weight, and do not participate in meaningful exercise programs or activities.
It was at this point I knew I could make a difference. I started ZOOZ Fitness in 2014 with the sole purpose of creating opportunities to exercise, be social, and learn healthy habits for individuals of all abilities and their families. I started working with participants from the Tikvah program at Camp Ramah, which led to expanding our reach within the community. For the past 5 years we have grown our ZOOZ community to work with kids, teens, adults, parents, siblings, seniors and families all over the greater Los Angeles area – we train over 90 athletes per week!
After years of working with ZOOZ athletes in the home, local parks, community centers and gyms I established a 2,500 square foot training facility in Encino that has become our ZOOZ Fitness HQ. This new training facility provides a space to build off of our current class schedule and add new classes such as yoga, self-defense, more circuit style training as well as work with many more individuals in a 1:1 setting. The space is functional in its design to allow for all equipment to be moved around to better support each athlete that trains at the facility. We are excited to be able to support and encourage more athletes to become healthier!
Photos from Zooz Facebook Page
You can find out more about what we are doing at www.zoozfitness.com or through our social media channels @zoozfitness
COME ZOOZ WITH US!
Jake Weiner