{"id":839605,"date":"2026-09-07T15:20:37","date_gmt":"2026-09-07T15:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/839605\/"},"modified":"2026-09-07T15:20:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-07T15:20:37","slug":"heights-fitness-club-grows-from-5-athletes-to-more-than-90-creating-a-community-where-everybody-belongs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/839605\/","title":{"rendered":"Heights fitness club grows from 5 athletes to more than 90, creating a community where everybody belongs"},"content":{"rendered":"

At O Athletik in the Heights, an occasional Friday night workout brings together athletes and volunteers for music, movement, and plenty of encouragement.<\/p>\n

For the athletes who show up, it is more than a workout.<\/p>\n

It is a place to make friends, build community and feel like they belong.<\/p>\n

That is the mission behind Everybody Belongs Club, a Houston organization that uses fitness to bring people with disabilities together with volunteers from the broader community.<\/p>\n

The organization began in March 2025 with just five athletes and about a dozen volunteers. Today, it has grown to more than 90 athletes and about 305 volunteers, according to founder Taylor Ernst.<\/p>\n

The idea grew out of Ernst\u2019s friendship with Tony, an athlete who has cerebral palsy. The two were friends in college, where Ernst learned more about Tony\u2019s experience living with a disability.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to live my life as much as I can despite my disability,\u201d Tony said. <\/p>\n

Those conversations helped inspire Ernst to create a place where people with disabilities could stay active while also connecting with others.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, it\u2019s a great place to get exercise and socialize that I otherwise wouldn\u2019t have,\u201d Tony said.<\/p>\n

Ernst said fitness was initially a way to create a bridge between people with disabilities and the general community. But the organization has evolved into something much bigger.<\/p>\n

Some athletes drive more than two hours round trip to attend the Friday night class, he said.<\/p>\n

That commitment reflects a larger challenge for families: finding opportunities for their loved ones with disabilities to socialize and participate in community activities.<\/p>\n

Louis Ruffino\u2019s 23-year-old daughter, Chloe, is one of the athletes who attends Everybody Belongs Club.<\/p>\n

Ruffino said opportunities like this can be difficult to find.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere aren\u2019t really these types of facilities and events available for the special needs community,\u201d Ruffino said.<\/p>\n

For Ernst, that sense of community is the point.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone that shows up, you know, there\u2019s no real expectation,\u201d Ernst said. \u201cYou can show up and just kind of be exactly who you were called to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ernst said the need becomes particularly apparent as people with disabilities age out of school-based programs.<\/p>\n

After age 22, many lose access to state-funded services and may have fewer opportunities to participate in activities with their peers, he said.<\/p>\n

The goal of Everybody Belongs Club is not simply to teach athletes how to work out. Ernst said the organization wants to create a community where people feel included, heard and loved.<\/p>\n

Ernst said he has heard from families who describe the experience as the first time their son or daughter has felt like they truly belong in a community setting.<\/p>\n

With the Heights location now full and athletes sometimes landing on a waitlist, Everybody Belongs Club is looking to expand.<\/p>\n

Ernst said the organization is actively touring gyms in areas including Memorial City and Katy, while also considering locations south of Houston and in The Woodlands.<\/p>\n

Ernst said he hopes the model eventually spreads beyond Houston.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think all it takes is just one random act of kindness,\u201d Ernst said.<\/p>\n

The organization is looking for volunteers, donors and potential host gyms. It is also interested in hearing from people who may want to help start a new Everybody Belongs Club location.<\/p>\n

For more information about volunteering, donating or getting involved, visit Everybody Belongs Club\u2019s website<\/a><\/p>\n

Breaking News Alerts\"\"<\/p>\n

More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At O Athletik in the Heights, an occasional Friday night workout brings together athletes and volunteers for music,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":839606,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[337,97,88061,355521],"class_list":["post-839605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-heights","tag-o-athletik"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=839605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/839605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/839606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=839605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=839605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=839605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}