News

On October 17th, the VON community celebrated the 30th anniversary of our successful SMART (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together)® exercise and fall prevention program.

To commemorate this significant milestone, many sites simultaneously participated in an instructor-led, 60-minute SMART exercise class, both online and in person. Over 1,500 participants across 52 locations participated in classes simultaneously following the same routine and listening to the same music with numerous instructors across the organization.  The virtual class that attracted over 150 participants was led by Kerri Williamson, standing instructor, and Danielle Dawkins, seated instructor.

The session followed the typical SMART class structure of aerobics, balance, strength and flexibility. In total, over 2,900 people across 196 sites participated throughout the day to celebrate Fall Prevention and Exercise Day. 

“Seeing the enthusiasm of staff, volunteers and clients was so rewarding,” says Jennifer McLellan, Manager, Home and Community Care, VON Simcoe County, who has been involved in the SMART program for over 15 years, and was pleased to lead the coordination of the celebrations. “This event demonstrated the program’s remarkable impact and its ability to promote lifelong fitness and help people to support their health and mobility. I look forward to seeing VON SMART continue to serve our local seniors for years to come.”

The SMART program offers no-cost group exercise classes to community members aged 55 years and older, as well as adults living with disabilities, to help them improve their strength, balance and mobility through low-impact exercise tailored to their abilities.

In 1994, VON introduced the first SMART classes in London, Ontario. Since then, the program has expanded significantly with over 1,500 SMART classes running each week in over 660 locations throughout Ontario and Nova Scotia.

Sarnia's own Col. Chris Hadfield sent a video to VON’s Erie St. Clair site in celebration of the 30th anniversary event. Check out Col. Hadfield’s video greetings, “flight path to fitness.”

Thank you to all who attended the event, and congratulations to all of the SMART providers and participants, past and present!