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It was on a weekend trip to Chicago nearly two years ago that Denny Kelly witnessed an activity that has since changed weekend mornings in Des Moines.
Kelly was looking for something to do when he saw a sign advertising a yoga class in Millennium Park, near his hotel. So he changed clothes and headed out, thinking he'd find 15 or 20 people doing sun salutations on a bright Saturday morning.
Instead, he saw hundreds, and his first thought was, "Wouldn't it be great to start something like this in Des Moines?"
Cut to last summer at Gray's Lake.
Yoga in the Park, the Saturday-morning outdoor yoga class that Kelly organized through the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department, started in June. It routinely attracted as many as 300 participants, and the success of the program prompted the department to honor Kelly last month as its first-ever Volunteer of the Year.
"I'm honored, and I'm very fortunate to be involved with so many wonderful people who helped make Yoga in the Park a reality," said Kelly, 58, of Johnston. "I think it's a great summer activity in our city, and I'm glad to be a part of it."
Callie Le'au Courtright, who supervises the parks department's volunteer program, honored Kelly during a ceremony at the monthly parks department's board meeting.
"Denny's innovative ideas and vision show us how a single volunteer can step forward with an idea and create change in our community," she said.
Kelly said the free yoga program is staffed by several volunteer instructors who represent a variety of yoga studios in the metro area. Two instructors staff each class; one demonstrates on a platform and the other is on the ground with the participants.
"We contacted the instructors and asked them to help out, and I was thrilled and humbled that they were all so willing to give of their time," Kelly said. "They all supported the idea and were enthusiastic about getting started."
The class grew through word of mouth, with joggers, bikers, skaters and walkers often stopping by to see what was happening, then staying for the class, Kelly said.
"When we started to get anywhere from 200 to 300 people, we were really excited," he said. "We had thought 30 or 40 would be great."
Kelly said the north end of Gray's Lake has worked well for the program, but organizers had trouble early on with a malfunctioning stereo. The booster group Friends of the Park saved the day by stepping in and purchasing a professional sound system, he said.
"That's just one more indicator of how many people joined together to make the program work," Kelly said. "There's no way it all can be attributed to me."
Kelly, a Lake View native who works full-time at John Deere Credit and teaches yoga, meditation and other disciplines on the side, said the program is set to go for this summer, and organizers hope for an even bigger success.
"Yoga benefits people in so many ways, and this class will work for you even if you've never tried it," he said. "The more, the merrier. If you've always wanted to try it, come and join us on a Saturday."
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