Category Archives: News
We Rock the Spectrum is proud to announce that We Rock the Spectrum – Jacksonville and We Rock the Spectrum – Agoura Hills have been named regional training facilities. Since December 2016, Lea Wells and Marissa Chunn have made We Rock the Spectrum – Jacksonville a community staple in Duval County. These two best friends are ABA therapists that worked hard for their dream to own a sensory gym. After hosting many fundraisers and busting down walls, they opened a 7,000 square foot gym (yes the largest out of all locations worldwide) and have been thriving ever since. “What I love most about Marissa and Lea is how they have become a beacon to the special needs community in Jacksonville,” says We Rock the Spectrum Founder Dina Kimmel, “whether they are supporting a local 5k, hosting a vendor fair for mommy-run businesses, or creating a sensory-safe Easter egg hunt, these girls are leaders who understand the importance of bringing people together.” The Jacksonville Regional Training …
It’s been a busy summer for us at We Rock the Spectrum. From Grand Openings, to rockin’ events, to expanding internationally, let’s catch up on everything we’ve been up to! We Rock the Spectrum – Edwardsville The first of our Summer Grand Openings was in Edwardsville, Illinois with gym owners, Mike and Jennifer Range. It was a day full of fun and surprises for the whole community. Read more >> We Rock the Spectrum – Redondo Beach We celebrated our newest California location in Redondo Beach on August 26th. Owners, Sharalle Horn and Sabina Sandoval, are both founders of their own organizations that led them on the path to open their own We Rock the Spectrum gym. Read more >> We Rock the Spectrum – Ballston Spa Lastly this summer, we opened in Upstate New York! Gym owner, Eva, is an occupational therapist who has been working with children with special needs for years. She says she knows how much her community needs a place like WRTS and she’s proud …
We’re so excited to announce that We Rock the Spectrum is opening in our 5th country… Australia! Let’s get to know Sally Johnson, our new international owner! After Sally and her husband’s son, Digby, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD at the age of two, she dreamed of an inclusive place that she could take him where he could play freely on suitable sensory equipment and where she could meet families on a similar journey. Many years later, she learned that such a place existed – We Rock the Spectrum – but that there were none in Australia. Sally reached out to fellow autism mum and WRTS founder, Dina Kimmel, and the concept for We Rock the Spectrum — Australia was born! With an extensive background in marketing and brand management and deep routes in the Australian autism acceptance community, Sally is hugely passionate about bringing the We Rock concept to Australia. “Within my own community, I see the desire families have to connect with …
We are proud to announce the newest member of our West Coast Corporate Team, Shane Stahl! He will serve the role of Tech Specialist for We Rock the Spectrum. Shane was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley. He attended Van Nuys High School and received his degree in Business Economics from UC Irvine. Shane has always had a knack for technology. In college, he developed a love for marketing and refined his passion during his internship with a digital marketing agency. Upon graduating from UC Irvine, he decided to combine his passions of technology and marketing by taking the role as the in-house Tech Specialist at the We Rock the Spectrum Corporate Office. He has become an integral part in assisting owners in accomplishing their marketing goals. Shane has experienced firsthand the benefits of inclusion while attending CHIME Charter Elementary School, a model inclusion school in Southern California. During his time at CHIME Charter, he made many life-long friends some of which were …
Los Angeles, CA – June 1st, 2017: We Rock the Spectrum, an international children’s gym franchise, announces its expansion into Dubai and Saudi Arabia. A little less than two and a half years ago, a mother from California decided to franchise her business that was designed to provide an inclusive play area for children of all abilities. When Dina Kimmel’s son, Gabriel, was diagnosed with autism at the age of two, she personally saw the lack of places available that she could take Gabriel and his neurotypical sister, Sophia. This led her to create a gym that features sensory-safe play equipment and welcomes all kids, no matter their ability. Today, there are more than 69 locations across the world, including the first international location, which opened in Malaysia in December of 2016. “We Rock the Spectrum aims to be a leader in inclusion worldwide. After meeting Dr. Nashila Jaffer, the master franchisee for Dubai and Saudi Arabia, we recognized she shared the same beliefs and knew …
We Rock the Spectrum expanded to another state this past weekend as they celebrated the grand opening of We Rock the Spectrum – Williamsburg! Proud new owners Lena and Mike White welcome family, friends and the Virginia community to their new gym on Saturday, May 20th, 2017. The Whites have four sons, Sean, Brayden, Nathan and Declan, and the search for the perfect sensory experiences to cater to all their children began after Brayden was diagnosed with autism and sensory processing disorder. When Lena learned Williamsburg lacked sensory-safe spaces for her boys, she turned to the Internet. After searching online, Lena came across We Rock the Spectrum and learned the motto, “Finally a place where you never have to say I’m sorry!” From that point on, Lena knew she wanted to be a part of the We Rock family and bring the gym to the Williamsburg community. The event had an amazing turnout with a line out the door before opening! One of Lena and …
We are proud to announce that we’ve launched the official We Rock the Spectrum Mobile App! We’ve spent the past few months in development, fine-tuning our app so that it can be as easy, fun, and beneficial to use as possible for all our We Rockers. With the We Rock App, it’s never been more seamless to connect with your local gym. Want to know what classes are in session? Looking to book break time? Have a special date coming up and want to celebrate at the gym? Now, that’s all possible from your fingertips with the We Rock the Spectrum App. Let’s say that you and your kiddo have some free time in the afternoon for a fun activity. You think, “maybe I’ll take them to We Rock today.” Now, you can find out what’s going on at the gym right from your mobile device. Simply log onto the We Rock app, navigate to the side menu, and click “classes.” Once the page loads, …
On December 22nd, 2016, We Rock the Spectrum opened its first international location in Ara Damansara, Malaysia. This was the first gym to open outside of the continental United States. CEO and Founder, Dina Kimmel, attended the grand opening with her family. Rahmah Mahmood, Nori Abdullah, and Hana Jamaluddin, the owners of We Rock the Spectrum – Malaysia, were also in attendance along with the Minister of Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin and the Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. We Rock the Spectrum’s journey to Malaysia was filled with countless blessings and meant-to-be moments. Through a series of serendipitous events, We Rock the Spectrum – Ara Damansara took the brand Dina Kimmel built seven years prior — and her mission — global. It started in the summer of 2015, when Khairy Jamaluddin attended the Special Olympics in Los Angeles, California with his wife and three boys. During their downtime, he was looking for a place to take his children to play nearby. That’s when a simple Google …
When we opened our first location in Tarzana, CA in 2010, we had one mission in mind: to provide a place for children of all abilities to play and grow together. Six years later, our philosophy of full inclusion for all children has grown to more than 60 locations across 18 states. Now, we’re bringing our mission worldwide with our first international location to open at the Evolve Mall in Malaysia! Learn More About Our Expansion
Join us on November 26th for Holiday fun for the whole family! Come meet Santa and pose for some photos while receiving a wrapped holiday toy! Tickets are free but limited so register today!
