About Dance with Mweyne
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We are a non-profit organization created by fitness professional Betina Gozo. Inspired by a volunteer trip to Kenya at an orphanage for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities, Betina created The Dance with Mweyne Foundation to serve and bring sustainability to this often underserved population. With 30+ children and adults living at the home and only 3-5 staff members, she quickly realized the impact that more volunteers could make, but also the lack of volunteers they were receiving. The residents at the orphanage benefited from the volunteers in a variety of ways: from learning how to feed themselves for the first time, with specialized volunteers discovering needs for specific diagnoses, or simply having someone’s hand to squeeze while they watched TV. Though they can all benefit from our time, we know that the experience can be a life changing one for the volunteers. We also focus on projects to bring sustainability and efficiency to the homes and schools we work with. We want to give the opportunity to those around the world and help be part of the change.
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Our Inspiration: Meet Mweyne
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Mweyne is our beautiful friend from the Ongata Rongai Special Home for Children and Adults in Kenya. Her age and disease are unknown, but she is happy as can be. Though she does not have the ability to walk, she is a HUGE fan of dancing! Give her a little help, and she will dance and smile the night away.
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About the Founder: Betina Gozo In her late teens and early twenties, Betina spent a lot of time with her two friends, Stevie and Annie Hopkins, both diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, as a live in caregiver. Both being in wheelchairs their whole lives, Betina assisted them with everyday activities, such as bathing, going to the toilet, feeding, among a variety of other things. She also volunteered at a young age at nursing homes, so giving care was always part of her journey and something that she felt gave her a lot of compassion and perspective through her whole life. Betina’s dream is to raise awareness amongst her fitness community and connect them with rewarding volunteer experiences.
Betina currently serves on the Advisory Board for Women's Health Magazine and published the Woman’s Guide to Strength Training with Hearst Publications / Women’s Health Magazine. She has worked as Nike Master Trainer for over 6 years and is also a NordicTrack Virtual Coach! Betina hopes that with her platform reach and her fitness community, she can inspire more people to be part of change.
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