CITRUS COUNTY, Fla. — A growing number of seniors are now able to do things they couldn't do throughout the pandemic.

Like hug their grandkids or get out and exercise.

This week’s Everyday Hero has been making sure seniors of all ages are keeping active, with some dancing flair.

Meet Donna Scarpello, just days away from her 70th birthday. She is Citrus County’s oldest Zumba instructor.

“I’ve been doing zoom for ten years but I’ve been an instructor for eight,” Scarpello said.

But with the onset of the pandemic a new way needed to be found. The answer was remote classes.

“We had to figure out zoom,” she said. “So my husband had to go through quite a bit of trial and error to get that down.

“My classes are basically a little on the low impact side though because i have mostly seniors in my class.”

 The age range is from 60 to 84 with one member 93 years young.

Zoom classes have filled the void but Scarpello said it’s time to get back to in person classes.

“I can’t wait to get back in person,” she said. “That’s going to be great.”

And the wait is over in person Zumba classes, with masks and distancing, begin anew today at the citrus county community center.

Amazingly, Scarpello has been dealing with pneumonia. She also has a T-cell deficiency and other health concerns. Not a problem.

“I ignore it,” she said. “I keep doing it and because i keep doing it I’m able to keep doing it.”