Owners of ReDefined Fitness Donate Car to YWCA Women's Shelter

For Eric Smoot and Silviu Gansca, co-owners of Wilmette’s ReDefined Fitness, giving back to the community is not an option, it’s a calling. So, it was no surprise that they recently chose to donate a car to the YWCA Evanston/North Shore women’s shelter. “We identified a real need in our community and answered the call,” explained Smoot. “It was as simple as that.”

For over 17 years, Smoot and Gansca’s commitment to giving back to the community has been as integral to their business model as providing health and fitness training for their extensive North Shore clientele. “We feel truly blessed to have been able to create such a successful business, and in return, we feel it’s our responsibility to help others who are less fortunate,” says Gansca.

In September, the two men recognized a need when they invited the women and children of YWCA Evanston/North Shore’s homeless shelter to join in their annual “Giving Back Through Play” picnic, an afternoon of fun, fitness and food held every fall at Lovelace Park in Evanston. The shelter directors were thrilled by the invitation but explained that they had no way to transport the children to the park. Not being ones to back down from a challenge, Smoot and Gansca set out to find a viable, long-term solution.

By putting out a few calls to clients and friends, they quickly raised $10,000, allowing them to purchase a Hyundai Entourage minivan from Jennings Chevrolet in Glenview. “We have an amazing clientele of incredibly generous and caring people,” says Smoot. “And Jennings Chevrolet went over and above to help us out and make this a reality. We’re simply acting as the liaison between the fortunate and the less fortunate.” And since a car won’t run on good intentions alone, ReDefined threw in a year’s worth of gas and insurance to get them on their way.

Karen Singer, CEO and president of YWCA Evanston/North Shore, enthusiastically accepted their kind offer, stating, “We are so grateful for the generosity of ReDefined Fitness and all those who contributed to helping purchase this van. It will help transport women and children to many resources and activities as they work to stabilize their lives. It will truly impact so many families for years to come. Thank you for turning our dream into a reality!”

Smoot added, “This is a real game-changer for these women and children. If you take away someone’s car, you take away their lifeline. This vehicle will open up the door to so many more opportunities for them.”

He would know. As a youngster, he was homeless on more than one occasion. Growing up in Evanston and Gary, IN, he was bounced around from place to place, as his single mother struggled with drug dependency, domestic violence issues and poverty. He and his twin sister survived the complete destruction of their home by fire, as well as eviction. But in high school, he was taken in by his best friend’s parents who raised him like a son. Their enduring support, coupled with the encouragement and dedication of his inspirational high school track coach, changed the trajectory of his life.

Similarly, Gansca also overcame great adversity as a child. In 1988, he and his family defected from Communist-ruled Romania just months before the outbreak of the Romanian Revolution. After two years as a refugee in Germany, he emigrated to America at the age of 10. “We can completely empathize with these displaced kids and their mothers because we’ve both been in their shoes,” explains Gansca.

Smoot agreed, “I should have been dead, in jail or on drugs. But I believe there was some kid of Divine intervention. And, as a result, here I am today, the owner of a thriving business, married and with two beautiful children. But the thing I’m the most proud of is giving back to the community. If I can inspire just one person or one company to do more, then I’ve accomplished something. It’s all just a matter of funneling your energy in the right direction.”

As a business and as individuals, their goal is to give back in some way every quarter of every year. “Giving Back Through Play” is the gym’s annual event designed to get kids out of a negative environment and into one of fun and activity. Many of their ReDefined Fitness clients take part in and support their efforts. In addition, ReDefined also sponsors an annual toy drive to provide holiday gifts for the women and children of the ARC Shelter in Gary, IN and YWCA Evanston/North Shore’s homeless shelter.

ReDefined Fitness, located at 1211 Washington Avenue in Wilmette, offers a full spectrum of services aimed at improving fitness, sports performance and overall health, including personal and semi-private training, pre- and post- rehabilitation, sports performance training, as well as massage and physical therapy. “Our aim is to serve our clients to the very best of our ability, yet also to serve and improve the communities around us.”

For over 30 years, YWCA Evanston/North Shore has provided the only comprehensive residential domestic violence program in the northeastern Chicago metropolitan area. In an effort to address domestic violence on all levels, the program is comprised of 24-hour crisis intervention, an emergency shelter, legal advocacy and longer-term housing for survivors.