SALT LAKE CITY — Two former students are making sure the spirit of the Salt Lake City School District's Community Education Program lives on after it was shuttered following its five-decade run.
FOX 13 News last spoke with Raj Giandeep as he was moving his Kundalini yoga classes after the program's end. On Thursday, the conversation was more upbeat in a new location at Dancing Cranes Imports.
"I think it's a great first step," said Giandeep. "I love that there was enough enthusiasm to keep it going in another fashion."
That enthusiasm started in an unlikely place... a watercolor class.
"It was all the class could talk about. Everyone was devastated. Heather and I were just like... we can do something," said Teresa Anderson-Meyers, co-founder of Pursuit Co.
And that's what Teresa and her friend, Heather Santos, did, starting Pursuit Co., a nonprofit dedicated to carrying on the mission of community education. They said it was never about starting an organization, but saving something they didn't want the community to lose.
"We've always wanted to do something more meaningful with our time," added Teresa. "This is our opportunity. It's something for the community that matters."
'My heart sank,' teachers, students push back against end of Salt Lake City community classes:
By day, Anderson-Meyers is a director of software engineering, while Santos is a chief marketing officer.
"I tell my husband, 'I've got to go off to my evening job that I'm paying to do right now,'" laughed Anderson-Meyers.
The women shared that about 80 percent of former community education instructors are returning. They said classes will cost a little more because they now have to cover costs the district once provided.
Even with the higher costs, hundreds have already signed up for updates, and Pursuit Co. will open registration for its first round of fall classes on Monday.
"It's definitely something that's needed more so than ever," said Giandeep. "Not just for learning new things... just to meet new people and keep your skill set growing and fresh."
