Physical therapist expands

FUNCTIONIZE/PROVIDED Jesse Brown, a physical therapist at Functionize, leads the Strength Foundations class. Participants learn the principles of resistance training using a variety of barbell/dumbbell exercises.

Therapy:

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which calls for co-pays or full costs if deductibles aren’t met. Plus, in-network companies often entail a cookie-cutter approach filled with standard protocols that overlook individualized needs and goals, she said.

And when Sok worked with traditional companies, she typically tended to multiple people at the same time, people of different ages and with different needs.

“I always said it was like daycare,” Sok said. “You were keeping people occupied basically, and not thinking through it.”

Whitcomb, who has seen many physical therapists over the years, said Functionize is different from all the others.

“[With] every other physical therapist, you go in there for an hour, and you usually are sharing the time with at least one other patient, where they’re bouncing back and forth between you and that other patient,” Whitcomb said. “That’s been my experience with every single physical therapy place I’ve been to, but then with Functionize, you’re not.”

He also said treatment at Functionize is not much more expensive than other companies, where you have multiple co-pays.

Sok said the average cost per visit, and there’s usually around 10 per client, runs from $200 to $249.

But clients have the option to submit the itemized bill to insurance for reimbursement.

Building a health community

Sok is focused on building community in Dunwoody. During a tour of the facility Oct. 11, Sok talked about the room behind the group exercise studio. She plans to lease it as a coffee shop, to bring community through coffee.

The room is empty, save for a colorful art piece hanging on the wall that asks, “Are you living your dream or still dreaming of living?” Sok saw the painting before she started her business and said it’s a big part of her inspiration. She wrote about the painting for one of her newsletters, which she writes regularly.

“It was like the light bulb moment,” she said. “Like, okay, ‘This bright, colorful painting is telling you something. I’m ready to start living my dream.’”

Some of Sok’s clients are members of Run the Wood, a local running group that meets on the second and fourth Saturday of the month. Sok, who lives in Dunwoody, formed the group last year after observing many solo runners in the Dunwoody community.

“People always say, ‘The hardest part is an adult is making friends.’”

Allison Thornton, another Functionize client, said she’s been a part of the group since it started.

“I know some friendships have formed out of that group,” Thornton said.

Thornton sought treatment from the Functionize team this year for hip and shoulder pain. Because she’s had improvement over the course of her visits, Thornton goes sporadically, as needed. Her husband and daughter also go to Functionize.

Thornton has also used the small group exercise classes offered at Functionalize.

She attended the Strength Foundations group exercise class, led by Jesse Brown, a physical therapist on staff. She has also attended Sok’s Mat Pilates class.

“Between those two classes, I just feel like I’m overall stronger, maybe more than I have been in my whole life,” Thornton said.

For more information about Functionize, visit functionizehealth.com or call (404) 907-4196.

AMBER PERRY/APPEN MEDIA A colorful painting that asks, “Are you living your dream or are you still dreaming of living?” hangs on the wall in an empty backroom behind the group exercise studio. Functionize Owner Lauren Sok, who wants to lease the space out as a coffee shop to build community, said the painting was an important piece of inspiration for starting Functionize.

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6 | October 20, 2022 | Sandy Springs Crier | AppenMedia.com/Sandy_Springs

COMMUNITY Halloween events coming to town

LOCAL NEWS

FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — If you’re looking for a spooky Halloween event to get in the mood for a night of trick or treating, look no further than these events with costumes, candy and music in Dunwoody and Sandy Springs.

Starting on Saturday, Oct. 22, the City of Sandy Springs will host Spooky Springs, a free trick-or-treat event at the Abernathy Greenway Playable Art Park.

Spooky Springs will start at 5 p.m. and will feature candy stations, face painting, fog machines, a DJ, and food trucks.

Parking for the event will be at Sandy Springs Christian Church, 301 Johnson Ferry Road in Sandy Springs. There will be handicapped parking at the event and limited parking at Sandy Springs Christian Church. Residents of surrounding neighborhoods are strongly encouraged to walk to the event.

The Abernathy Greenway parking lot will close at 9 a.m. on Oct. 22 for event setup. Abernathy Greenway Park is at 70 Abernathy Road NW in Sandy Springs.

A second event will be hosted in Dunwoody’s Brook Run Park on Thursday, Oct. 27 by the Dunwoody Parks and Recreation Department, Dunwoody Police Department and Dunwoody Homeowners Association.

“Truck or Treat” will run from 5 to 9 p.m. and will feature music from The Adrian Duke Project and police department “treat trucks” for local kids.

“Every year, we look forward to collaborating on this family tradition with great food, music, costumes and treats,” Dunwoody Parks and Recreation Director Brent Walker said. “It’s a fun way to gather as a community and kick off the weekend leading up to Halloween.”

Kids and families will also be issued clip-on, safety flashers by the Dunwoody Police Department during the event, to promote the department’s Halloween safety, “See & Be Seen on Halloween” initiative. “This is community policing at its best,” Dunwoody Police Chief Billy Grogan said. “We enjoy the opportunity to connect with families and share important reminders about Halloween safety.”

Brook Run Park is at 4770 North Peachtree Road in Dunwoody. See more events on the calendar ► PAGE 18 DUNWOODY, Ga. — The 31st edition of the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (MJCCA) will take place Nov. 3-19.

This year’s festival boasts an impressive schedule of events featuring some of the world’s most recognizable personalities and local authors representing a broad spectrum of speakers, ensuring something fascinating for everyone.

The festival is returning to in-person programming and expects to welcome thousands of attendees from across the Southeast.

Keynote festival authors include: • Nikki R. Haley, former United States ambassador to the United Nations & Governor of South Carolina • Melissa Rivers, award-winning television personality & producer as well as the daughter of Hollywood icon Joan Rivers • Andrew Young/Ernie Suggs,

Ambassador to the United Nations/award-winning Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter • Julia Haart, former CEO & coowner of global modeling agency Elite World Group as well as star of the hit Netflix reality series My Unorthodox Life • Nyle DiMarco, winner of Dancing with the Stars & America’s Next Top Model, Deaf and LGBTQ activist • Clea Newman Soderlund, daughter of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward • Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prizewinning biographer • Bernie Marcus, The Home Depot co-founder and global philanthropist

Also, Benjamin Netanyahu (former Israeli prime minister, virtual event), Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan (bestselling authors), Michael Oren (former Israeli ambassador to the United States)

Book festival includes noted authors PROVIDED Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan are set to speak at the Book Festival of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta in November. and Melissa Clark (New York Times writer and James Beard Award winner), will all be speaking during the Prologue to the Book Festival of the MJCCA. All Book Festival of the MJCCA events will be held at the MJCCA at 5342 Tilly Mill Road in Dunwoody. For more information, visit the official MJCCA Book Festival event page.

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