Pilates studio expands staff, services

Wellness staff offers opportunities to help PAWS animal shelter during open house

By Jim Hart

The West Linn Tidings, Jun 12, 2008, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (2 Reader comments)

Pictured inside the Flourish Pilates studio are members of the professional staff, back row from left, certified Pilates instructors Nissa Windsong, Clare Baxter and Elizabeth Payne, front row, Sharon Murphy, PAWS owner, and Laura McCorkle, licensed massage therapist. Not pictured are massage therapists Larry Wolfe and Marie Blacklidge and Pilates instructor Michelle Kinkade.

JIM HART / West Linn Tidings

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Since Clare Baxter opened Flourish Pilates in historic Willamette about six months ago, she has added three more Pilates instructors and a number of classes as well as three massage therapists.

And next Tuesday, she and her instructors and therapists will not only have an open house, but also they will be assisting a local non-profit animal shelter.

Pet Adoptions West Side, 1741 Willamette Falls Drive, (503-650-0855) needs about $4,500 every month to provide shelter, insurance, telephone, food, litter and veterinary services for lost, strayed or orphan cats in the shelter.

PAWS owner Sharon Murphy will be at the Flourish Pilates studio during the 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. open house to receive donations to keep the shelter open and serving the needs of local animals.

For people who would like to donate in addition to financial help, Murphy has a top-10 “Wish List” of items such as cat litter, string mops, old wooden chairs, plastic grocery bags, cat food and volunteers.

“I think the cats in our shelter are the lucky ones,” Murphy said. “If I was a homeless cat, I would want to live at PAWS. But there simply is not enough room to take in all of the cats who need a place to stay.”

Murphy gets between 300 and 500 calls each month from people who want to bring a cat or kittens to PAWS. She says she would like to open other locations to house homeless cats, but she is not financially able to do that yet.

During the open house Tuesday, four Pilates instructors along with the three massage therapists will join Murphy in the modern studio on Willamette Falls Drive.

They will serve wine, cheese and chocolate to visitors as well as give free mini sessions on the Pilates Reformer and complimentary mini chair massages.

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