CHESAPEAKE, Va. - The stage at Chesapeake City Park turns into a big fitness party at 6 p.m. every Tuesday.
To help keep herself and others fit physically and mentally during the pandemic, Tiffany Coffey first started a virtual exercise class on her Facebook page.
And things took off from there.
“So, I created a small group so we could air videos and invite a friend. Well, that one friend turned into 2,000 friends, and 2,000 friends turned into families," she explained.
Then the demand grew for in-person classes. People sign up through Facebook, and the class size is limited so they have room for social distancing.
The class has been full every week since she started back in June, selling out every week - and it's free.
“Somebody in the survey said, 'You should take tips,' and I said, 'I don’t want any money from this.' So I said, 'Go ahead and give tips,' and they did and I matched them all, and we send it back into the community," Tiffany said.
She’s raised $500 for single moms in the neighborhood around Thurgood Marshall Elementary, where she went to school.
“I’m a single mom with a 4-year-old son, so I can relate to the struggles and the challenges of moms," she said.
“The fact that she cares about people. It’s all about people. It’s never about her," Leslie Young told us.
Leslie takes the class every week and loves how it's brought people together during the pandemic.
“She always had a big heart, and her heart is in helping others. And one of the things about Tiffany is that she doesn’t expect anything back."
Even though she doesn’t expect it, we wanted to show our appreciation for her. We surprised Tiffany with a News 3 People Taking Action award and a $300 Visa gift card from our community partner, Southern Bank.
Related: People Taking Action: Hampton boy not old enough to drive, but knows to help others!
And the crowd yelled well wishes.
“We love you!"
And her fitness followers also surprised her with gifts and balloons.
Tears of joy coming from Tiffany on this hot summer day.
"Thank you."
To nominate someone for a People Taking Action Award, email us at takingaction@wtkr.com.
