A friendship born from exercise is now an exercise in compassion for women affected by human trafficking

When Denise Gianpetro walked into Marla Artman's Bartlett Jazzercise class a year and a half ago, she never dreamed they would be pairing up in such a meaningful way this summer.

Gianpetro is executive director of Foundation 9:22, a nonprofit organization that provides compassionate dental care and healing for women rescued from human trafficking and exploitation.

“While I worked as a dental hygienist with Dr. Jessica Bertoglio, we were blessed with the chance to volunteer our time and talent to treat patients rescued from human trafficking and exploitation,” Gianpetro said. “Dr. Bertoglio recognized the critical dental needs of this community and proposed to Denise and colleague Marsha Mallett creating a foundation to serve rescued women.”

Foundation 9:22 was created and now treats residents from several organizations that rescue women from human trafficking in the Chicago area.

Gianpetro and her colleagues continue to use their talents to bless others and grow closer to their vision of a world where rescued women are restored to dental health and equipped with confidence and smile in their rehabilitated life.

Speaking of smiles, you won't see a bigger one than the one Marla Artman wears when she's leading her Jazzercise class. She has been teaching dance-based cardio and muscle-pumping strength training classes, aka Jazzercise, for 20 years.

In honor of her anniversary, she is hosting a Celebration Class, Vendor Fair and fundraising event from 8:30-10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 13, in Bartlett Community Center’s Oak Room. Tickets are $10 each and all proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to Foundation 9:22.

Marla, a long-time small business owner, enjoys supporting fellow small business owners, especially women. She invited members of the Bartlett Area Moms Networking Group to participate in the vendor fair portion of the event. All proceeds from vendor participation fees will also be donated to Foundation 9:22.

“I envision the room packed with people that have been part of my Jazzercise journey as well as anyone who wants to give Jazzercise a try and/or support Foundation 9:22,” Artman said. “It will be a fun and impactful time!”

For those not able to attend in person, Artman will also offer an online option.

For information about the event and to purchase tickets, please visit foundation922.org Click on the events tab in the menu.

Please spread the word about this event so these women can create many more smiles for women in need of dental care after living through human trafficking nightmares.

For Jazzercise and event questions contact Marla Artman at marlaartman@sbcglobal.net.

For Foundation 9:22 questions, contact Denise Gianpetro at info@foundation922.org