She danced most of the four hours and had a ton of energy.
That was on Saturday, May 10.
Talking to a reporter over the phone at her home two days later, Frankie Gowing was, well, less energetic. But still happy.
Gowing, 82, was the organizer of a Fit For Life Dance-a-thon held at Vernon's Schubert Centre, where five teams and dozens of attendees helped raise an approximate $18,000 for the financially embattled popular Vernon gathering place for seniors.
"I talked to people during the dance-a-thon and they said I was doing the right thing," said Gowing. "That's what a seniors place is for. It hits the spot for a lot of people, and people there were emotionally and physically uplifted. The connectiveness that the dance-a-thon provided was outstanding.
"I'm feeling so happy, and so relieved. I was really stressed, wondering if anybody would show up."
Gowing teaches a class twice a week at the Schubert Centre called Zumba Gold, that draws anywhere from 25-35 people aged 55-80. The Fit For Life Dance-a-thon brought out a lot of the class members. There were two centenarians (aged 100 or older) who danced as well as sat and observed. There were two children aged six and eight, whose folks were helping out with the event, dancing up a storm on and around the dance floor.
And there were people from outside the North Okanagan.
"People came from Victoria and Kamloops because they knew somebody who had needed the Schubert Centre, and got a lot out of it," said Gowing. "The event was extremely well received. Everybody had a ball. People from all walks of live, from all over, came to dance, to watch, to feel the energy and remember what it was like when they were young, and could do some wild and wooley dancing."
Gowing is no stranger to fundraising.
She and her husband, Adrian, moved to the North Okanagan almost a year ago from Mayne Island, one of the smaller Gulf Islands near Victoria. She taught Zumba classes there for 15 years, and did dance-a-thons to raise funds for different things.
The difference, however, was on Mayne Island, the Gowings knew everybody. They didn't have the connections in the North Okanagan. So she began teaching Zumba Gold, where she plays music that attendees grew up with.
"People come twice a week and they get to know who I am, what I'm like, and that's been great for me," she said. "It's a two-way street. I was lost when we came up for the first few months, not knowing anybody.
"Now, I know more people. And I'm a happy camper."
One of the hardest things for seniors to overcome, said Gowing, is the feeling of loneliness, which is why places like the Schubert Centre are gold for seniors. They can play a card game, have lunch, a cup of coffee, or take a class. Gowing was happy to help raise some much-needed funds to help keep the centre operational.
"The dance-a-thon was the right thing to do," she said.
