Bloom’s inspiration starts with Emma: John and Jill Watson’s beautiful and talented daughter, who also happens to have an intellectual and developmental disability. As Emma grew up, the Watsons found numerous options to support Emma’s physical and emotional health through movement and fitness. But as she entered adulthood, options that met her unique needs seemed to be few and far between. As John entered retirement after a 32-year mortgage industry career, he knew he wanted to fill this gap using his passions for fitness, people with IDD, and philanthropy.

This landed John at Texana Center – a large IDD service provider in Missouri City, Texas. Here he found a room full of unused stationary bikes. According to staff, fitness programming had not worked as clients became uninterested over time. John left, knowing what he needed to do: build a fitness program that would lead adults with IDD to choose a lifetime of fitness. Thus began Bloom: a program that is much more than fitness equipment. It is a place where athletes like Emma feel they belong, are confident in creating new lifelong fitness practices, and wake up every morning excited for the next Bloom class.

Today, Bloom has grown beyond its meager beginnings to two states and numerous locations. But John will tell you that Emma and Jill remain the inspiration behind his work each and every day.