International Pilates brand Studio Pilates is hosting a network-wide charity event across Australia and New Zealand in aid of children’s cancer charities, The Kids’ Cancer Project and Child Cancer Foundation on Saturday 8 June. Hundreds for Hope (inspired by the signature Pilates move ‘Hundreds’) is a Studio Pilates open day with a purpose, with classes across all 24 studios completely free of charge. Studio Pilates has really put the fun into this fundraiser with each studio providing entertainment, special offers, giveaways and other exciting activations with a percentage of proceeds from the day donated to the two children’s charities.
Studio Pilates founder Jade Winter explains how the concept came to fruition “The hardships and challenges faced by children who are suffering from cancer, and their parents, are truly harrowing. Our Springfield franchise is run by Ash and Ryan Giles who have a six-year-old son, Nash, who sadly has a brain tumour and has had both chemotherapy treatment and brain surgery. After meeting Nash for the first time, I was truly inspired by his positivity and fun-loving nature. As a parent to a son of the same age, it really hit home, and right then I decided, as an organisation – as a family – we simply had to do something to support other families faced with cancer.”
Ash Giles – who is now a studio owner in the network – knows firsthand just how devastating children’s cancer really is. Her son, Nash, was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was just nine months old. Ash admits to “falling off the face of the earth” when Nash was first diagnosed. “After spending so much time in hospital over the years for many different procedures, and then embarking on the most gut-wrenching journey of chemotherapy and brain surgery, we have seen the direct effects of current treatments available to children. We’ve also had some of our little friends taken away from their families and friends way too soon. The experience has changed our family forever”.
Yet it took her to hit rock bottom before she realised she would need to look after herself to keep going for him. “I really wasn’t coping, but I started going to classes at my local Studio Pilates, she said. “It sounds silly, but Pilates truly saved me. It was a healthy escape and gave me precious me-time. It was the catalyst for us joining the Studio Pilates family, to move towards a path aligned with our health and wellness journey,” explained Giles.
Each studio across the Studio Pilates network will be offering complimentary orientation sessions throughout the day which run for an hour each. Attendees will explore the principles of Pilates and finish with a 30-minute workout. Proceeds from the day are going to the serious science behind finding better treatments and research to ultimately find a cure for kids’ cancer and to providing help – big and small – to affected families whether socially, emotionally or practically.
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