Community Captains Amy and Abby are the dynamite duo from Summersville REFIT, and Active SWV May Community Captains of the Month
Active SWV has successfully helped volunteers in several WV communities begin REFIT activity programs, and is proud of an ever growing partnership. Abby and Amy started leading in January 2026. Check out why they lead below:
Amy:
- Tell us about yourself, where are you from?
I was born in Washington state, and my parents moved back to West Virginia when I was three years old. I have lived here my entire life since except for a short time in Saint Louis for college. I consider myself a Mountaineer, even though I wasn’t born here. I have traveled to many states in the US and even overseas to Taiwan, and I am always happy to get home to Almost Heaven WV.
- Why are you active? How did you start being physically active?
I have always enjoyed getting outside, camping, and hiking, but because of life circumstances in my early adulthood, I became very sedentary and began having issues with back pain and muscle soreness when I tried to move. In 2019, I realized that if I didn’t start moving my body purposely, I would eventually not be able to move at all. So I began looking for a fun, inexpensive exercise class, and I found Beckley REFIT funded by Active SWV. At that time I drove nearly an hour at least once a week to go to class, and in addition to finding a fun way to move my body and be more active, I found a group of friends. There were two ladies on the front row who were older than me, and they weren’t perfectly in sync, but they came and moved their bodies anyway. I looked at them and thought, if they can do it, surely I can do it.
I loved it so much that I decided to become certified to teach REFIT in February 2020, but because of Covid, I was not able to start the class in Summersville as planned. We have finally been able to start the class here in Summersville nearly six years later! And I am so glad that I am able to co-teach with my daughter. It has been so fun to watch her flourish in this role, and I am thankful for Active SWV who has done so much to help us get REFIT started here in Summersville.
- What motivated you to volunteer with Active SWV in your community?
As I stated before, I LOVE REFIT as a way to move my body in a way that I find fun and not a hardship. Mostly I wanted to start REFIT a little closer to home than Beckley. But I also love the mission of Active SWV, which encourages people to be more active in more ways than one. If you aren’t into the encouraging music and movement of REFIT, they have run clubs, hiking trips, bike trail activities, pickleball, and more!
- How do you stay motivated? Why is being active a priority for you?
My motivation comes from several different places. First, perhaps selfishly, I feel better in my body when I make it a point to move regularly. I am not thin and fit, and I am not your average fitness instructor, but my body, like every body, no matter the size, NEEDS movement.
Secondly, my motivation comes from my kids and my REFIT community. There are days when I would rather go home and veg out on the couch, but my friends at REFIT would miss me. So, I go to class, and always feel better afterwards. And I know that my kids are watching my life, and I want them to live active, healthy lives, better than I have. So I move my body, even when I would rather not, to be a good example to them.
- Why do you think someone should join an Active SWV free program?
There are so many great reasons to join an Active SWV program!
First, they are free. Cost is no longer an issue with these programs. It takes one of the most common excuses off the table.
Second, your body NEEDS movement. I heard a quote somewhere that I really like – “Motion is lotion, and movement is medicine.” If your body is having aches and pains, maybe it needs movement. I feel less pain now than I ever have in my adult life because I move my body regularly, even though I am still overweight. Obviously check with your doctor before doing strenuous activity, but all bodies need movement of some sort. And with REFIT in particular, we encourage you to modify the moves as needed and often we will show you a modification. If you can’t jump, do a step instead. If you can’t twirl, stay in place. You should pay attention to your body, and do the amount of activity that your body can do. If I can do it, surely you can do it!
And last but not least, is Community. Every Active SWV program is a way to meet like-minded friends – people who will encourage you when you are down and miss you when you are not there. This is one of the REFIT values, and we work hard to make everyone feel like they are an important part of our classes, where EVERYBODY belongs!
Abby:
- Tell us about yourself, where are you from?
I am from Mount Nebo, West Virginia. I’m 20 years old. I work at Chick-Fil-A, and in my spare time I love to bake or crochet.
- Why are you active? How did you start being physically active?
I have always loved being active, in 2019 my mom and I started going to REFIT classes in Beckley and I fell in love with the format and the mission of REFIT.
- What motivated you to volunteer with Active SWV in your community?
We decided to volunteer with Active SWV because we wanted to bring a REFIT program to Summersville because we loved its community and mission.
- How do you stay motivated? Why is being active a priority for you?
One of the things that keeps me motivated to keep teaching classes is seeing the people that make the time come to every class, I love being able to see people come in after maybe having a hard day and leaving with a smile on their face.
Being active has become a priority for me because I know I feel better physically and mentally when I stay active, and I know my future self will thank me for staying active while I’m young.
- Why do you think someone should join an Active SWV free program?
Being active and moving your body is so important for your physical and mental health and Active SWV has made so many different free options available from run clubs to REFIT classes there is something for everyone.
Join Abby, Amy, or any of the other amazing Active SWV Community Captains by checking out our website calendar!