Best Fitness in Erie, Pa. is giving away free 30-day memberships to current non-members in Erie, in an initiative to “make Erie, Pa. the healthiest city in America.” The promotion, called OctoberBest, will also work to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network at Saint Vincent Health Center, a local non-profit organization and hospital in Erie. If new members sign up for paid memberships, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the organization.
“What Best Fitness is about is helping and reaching out to the community,” said Eric Taylor, the membership director for Best Fitness. “We figured giving the community a free month would be beneficial to Erie. With obesity on the rise, we thought, ‘who better to fight it than us?’ We have the education and the background to do so.”
Best Fitness picked the Children’s Miracle Network as its organization to benefit, due to the non-profit’s immediate impact on the local community. “Erie is a relatively small town, and everyone wanted to give back to Erie,” said Taylor. “Donating to the Children’s Miracle Network is a way to do that.”
So far, the promotion has raised over $1,000 for the Children’s Miracle Network, and in addition, has brought many new faces into Best Fitness. “We’ve gotten a great response,” said Dave Dos Santos, the CEO of Best Fitness. “We’ve had a ton of people who would never have stepped foot into a fitness center otherwise, come in for a membership at Best Fitness.”
According to Taylor, many of the non-members who come in to redeem their 30-day free membership have immediately signed up for more months, once they see the programs and services that Best Fitness has to offer. He attributes this to Best Fitness’ staff. “Every one of my employees understand how and why we do what we do,” said Taylor. “We educate people on how to become healthier, and really care about helping them reach their goals.”
To spread the word about the promotion, Best Fitness utilized direct mailing, social media, radio advertisements and word of mouth. One of the biggest supporters of the promotion has been Erie’s Mayor, Joseph E. Sinnott. “He’s been in the club working out almost every day,” said Dos Santos. “The mayor deserves a big hats off for his support.”
By Rachel Zabonick
