12 minute read
BOXING OUT
FANCY FOOTWORK
By LAURA MOORE | photo by TERAH HOOBLER
Rock Steady in Wilmington hits back at Parkinson’s
When considering treatments for Parkinson’s disease, medication and perhaps surgery might initially come to mind. Boxing might be the last to be considered, if at all. One local program, however, wants to change that while also changing the attitude toward the disease for patients and caregivers alike.
VAL VON RUPP and her father, MIKE WILSON, initially came to Wilmington to train in jiujitsu martial arts. They later teamed up with the national gym Rock Steady, and Wilmington’s Rock Steady Boxing gym opened nearly six years ago.
“It takes all the good stuff of boxing and hits Parkinson’s disease at its most vulnerable,” Von Rupp says.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects movement. The noncontact boxing program works on balance, hand-eye coordination, calisthenics, and strength and conditioning, addressing many of the issues Parkinson’s patients often struggle with over time.
“We do footwork and jump rope, like boxers do, even if it’s modified,” Von Rupp says.
Rock Steady meets boxers where they are, modifying for those with walkers and wheelchairs. “Camaraderie is a big part of it for them,” she says.
The gym has established strong relationships with many of the local neurologists who support the program for their patients. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, nearly one million people in the United States are living with the disease.
“My days are spent yelling at seniors with Parkinson’s disease,” Von Rupp says. “I work them hard, so they do not focus on dwelling on Parkinson’s. They box and forget about it.”
Von Rupp says her experience working in jiujitsu has given her the “calm, cool collectedness” she needs to work with seniors.
“I like working with seniors,” Von Rupp says. “I fell into it, and that’s my jam.”
This is an upbeat, positive environment that empowers them to fight back against the disease.
HANNAH MORTON, Von Rupp’s “second hand,” loves getting to know her boxers “outside the disease.”
“This is a community. They get to know each other and bump gloves,” Morton shares. “I love to be a light in their day.”
Von Rupp wants Rock Steady to share more of that light throughout Wilmington.
“Moving forward, I want to grow more. I want to be a resource,” Von Rupp says. “Awareness is key. So many are unaware of how many people (Parkinson’s) affects,” Morton adds.
While boxers are enjoying their classes, Von Rupp would like to provide a support group for caregivers to take part in and get the attention they deserve, too.
“It is sad that we have this disease, but it is exciting that we have the potential to help so many people,” Morton says.
Rock Steady offers classes in two locations in Wilmington, and it hopes to expand to additional locations throughout the Cape Fear region.
In north Wilmington at 6500 Windmill Way, afternoon classes are held on Wednesdays and Fridays at 1 p.m., and morning classes are held at 9 a.m. at the gym’s Independence Mall location. W
This profile appeared in a recent WILMA Wellness newsletter. To sign up for daily WILMA emails, go to WILMAmag.com.
Sound Hypnosis
SubheKathy adingRayle Body 910-612-9955 or Krayle@mac.com www.Soundhypnosisworld.com
14
th annual
The annual WILMA Dash 5K took place on May 10. It started and finished at the Wilmington Convention Center, with runners weaving through downtown and along the Riverwalk.
After crossing the finish line, the women and their supporters celebrated at the convention center for the Health Fest, benefitting Going Beyond the Pink nonprofit.
The top overall finishers were ANN MARIE PIERCE (shown right, with her son), (with a time of 17 minutes, 52 seconds – a 5:45 pace); BRITTANY PERKINS (18 minutes, 25 seconds); and ERIN HOGSTON (19 minutes, 34 seconds).
The award for the largest team went to the Compass Pointe Dashers, and most-spirited team prize went to CoWgirls.
Congrats to all of this year’s finishers!
Race results + more photos @ WILMADash.com
photos by MADELINE GRAY & ARIS HARDING
Dr. Jamie Salling Dr. Katlin Jameson Dr. Bryan Tate Family-Owned Practice for 35 Years | Welcoming New Patients Now Call or schedule online today!
2002 Eastwood Road Suite #105 | Wilmington, NC 28403 | 910.256.9040 | www.SallingTate.com
CAPTRUST INVESTORS IN TRAINING
There’s no doubt about it: Passing along financial wisdom to children can help them live better lives, enjoy greater freedom, exercise more control over how they spend their time, and afford a degree of comfort and security that otherwise may not exist.
A lot of ways exist to help kids build their financial muscles. Many of us utilize common practices like filling up a piggy bank with a child over time, involving youngsters in small purchases using cash, or by the different examples we set, such as sticking to a budget.
But it’s also important to teach kids lessons in investing, says father of two and Wilmington-based CAPTRUST wealth management advisor Buck Beam.
So, when it came time to pass on some of these lessons to his own two sons, Beau, 12, and Wayland, 9, Beam was “looking for a way for the kid to connect real money to the stock market and learn about how the stock market works," he says. All the Action in Just a Fraction
For the Beam family, it all started with the ubiquitous delivery trucks driving through their neighborhood, dropping off brown boxes adorned with a smile logo. "How about Amazon?" Beau and Wayland said. There was just one problem. The boys' stock pick was totally out of their budget, with a price tag in the thousands of dollars for a single share, says Beam.
Then he looked into fractional shares. While buying entire shares of stock in big name companies can get expensive, Beam quickly discovered that fractional shares are a fantastic way to get young people excited about investing—and develop valuable financial skills that will be with them for life—without committing a lot of money.
“The idea of investing some of their own money was thrilling to the boys,” Beam says. They already had some savings—from birthday money and allowance—and Beam was excited to foster their interest. He even upped the ante by pledging to match their investments dollar for dollar. A Long-term Lesson
The idea is simple: Instead of buying whole shares of stock, parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents—anyone with a young person in their life—can buy partial shares by the dollar amount. Also called dollar-based investing, this capability was first offered by some technology startup companies, then introduced by companies like Fidelity and Charles Schwab in 2020. With dollar-based investing, even someone with just a little bit of money can buy in and diversify their small-dollar portfolio. "Investing in fractional shares is a neat activity to do with the kids," says Beam, “And it has the longterm benefit of helping create savers and investors out of your kids and grandkids without putting a lot of money down." Hands-On Investing
For Beam's sons, Dad's idea of investing in fractional shares meant they could afford to get into some of the brand-name stocks that they were familiar with. And that got their attention. The boys became very engaged and excited to talk with Beam about their personal stock holdings and their own investment ideas.
"A lot of kids don't make financial decisions," says Beam. “So, it's very interesting to them to have some skin in the game and then get to live with their decisions."
The experience has shown Beam how he can talk with his kids about the stock market. "This has been the first time in their lives they would ask me questions, instead of me just explaining what I do and why it matters. Now they're curious. They want to understand. Once their money was on the line, they were hungry for more information."
910.256.8882 | CAPTRUST.COM
CAPTRUST specializes in providing comprehensive wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals, business owners, and families. Our skilled advisors provide clients with knowledge, experience, and judgement they need to make effective financial decisions. Buck Beam is a Wealth Management Financial Advisor in Wilmington. Buck can be reached at 910.256.8882 or buck.beam@captrust.com.
PLANTATION VILLAGE
MEET OUR RESIDENTS: SAUNDRA GOURLEY
MAKING THE MOST OF RETIREMENT AT PLANTATION VILLAGE
Without jest, Saundra Gourley tells me her retirement is better than she could’ve ever imagined.
Ms. Gourley knows a thing or two about life, the aging process and planning for your future.
She’s both well-traveled and well read, having entered the Peace Corps after college at 22 years of age.
She knew Maya Angelou before she was a global figure.
She spent two years teaching science in Ghana before returning to the U.S. to pursue higher education, and eventually finding her way into the computer industry. She’s proud to say she’s “one of thousands of people who brought internet to the world!”
While in her 40s, the father of a friend moved into a CCRC (continuing care retirement community) which was her first introduction to the concept of a Life Plan Community. After the death of a friend nearly 10 years ago, she began to seriously consider her own future. She found that her own social circle was getting smaller.
She was living in Boston, Massachusetts when her sister and her niece started encouraging her to move to the Wilmington area.
For her, Plantation Village felt like the right place. She was drawn to the campus’ natural beauty, and liked that our notfor-profit status means we pour our resources directly back into our community.
She says the promise we give of “maintenance-free living!” has more than exceeded her expectations. She enjoys swimming classes and walking. Life at PV provides opportunities for bolstering physical and mental strength that might not be so accessible otherwise. She’s engaged with foreign policy discussions and continues to enjoy reading and film.
She says she’s living a fuller life now than she was prior to her move to PV, while maintaining some of her lifelong hobbies including elaborate beaded cross stitching.
“I never dreamed that my retirement years would be this good,” she said.
She told me the community feels like family. She feels safe and secure and thinks its comical that a chief “complaint” is being tired from all of the activities!
With bountiful options for engagement, life at PV is what you make it and Saundra is not doubt making the most of hers.
Anna Cook is Marketing Coordinator at Plantation Village, a non-profit continuing care retirement community that offers independent living on a 56-acre campus in Porters Neck, minutes from downtown Wilmington and area beaches.
1.866.825.3806 | PLANTATIONVILLAGERC.COM
THEARTWORKS™
THE ART WORKS FOR THE ARTIST, THE ART LOVER, THE COMMUNITY, “ART WORKS!”
theArtWorks™ is in 37,000 square feet of repurposed historical industrial space on 200 Willard Street, providing venue rental, an art village with working art studios, art maker spaces, classrooms, a gift shop, and fine art visual and separate photography gallery. theArtWorks™ provides comprehensive, multifaceted, and inclusive opportunities all located under one roof and strives to enhance the Wilmington community through arts.
Owners, Jim and Betsy Knowles, purchased the current theArtWorks™ building in 1998. The building was a part of the original Block Manufacturing in what is now Wilmington’s South Front District. theArtWorks™ began in 2013, with the mission of enhancing the community, assisting artists, and contributing to the revitalization of Downtown Wilmington. The art village emulates a New Orleans circa 1900s vibe. Jim and Betsy feel strongly about preserving Wilmington’s historical commercial landmarks and providing a place for artists to create, display, and sell all types of art. The Knowles wish to nurture and promote making Wilmington, North Carolina an international art destination. theArtWorks™ is part of the Downtown Wilmington 4th Friday Gallery Nights − free monthly events where downtown area galleries, studios, and art spaces open their doors to the public in an after-hours celebration of art and culture sponsored by the Arts Council of Wilmington and New Hanover County. 4th Friday Gallery Nights are a self-guided tour through more than 20 downtown Wilmington galleries, studios, and businesses − featuring exhibitions of various artistic genres including oils, acrylics, watercolors, pastels, photography, metals, woods, ceramics, mixed media, jewelery, pryrography, and more. Showcasing art and art-related events, 4th Friday Gallery Nights also include opening receptions, artist discussions, demonstrations, live music, beer and wine along with other art-related activities. theArtWorks™ also hosts specialty art events promoting performing and literary arts. theArtWorks™ open hours are Thursday thru Friday 11am - 5pm, and by appointment. While theArtWorks™ consumes much of their time, Jim and Betsy still make sure to have fun wherever they go. They are especially committed to their family. They love boating, traveling, and time spent visiting their four adult children living across the United States in four different states. For 15 years, they have hosted Cousins Camp to get their bicoastal grandchildren together for two weeks each summer. The COVID-19 pandemic has hindered their travel and visiting during this time.
Visit theArtWorks™ today by stopping in at, 200 Willard Street in downtown Wilmington, visit their website at, www. theArtWorks.co, or give them a call to find out more about their offerings at, 910-352-7077. You want a great nation? Then, it demands a great education − “it all starts with the arts.”
910.352.7077 | THEARTWORKS.CO
