Every gym hopes to engage its members. But to do so, you have to offer more than just a line of treadmills.
Take THE GYM in Englewood, New Jersey as an example. In addition to offering great programs, services and staff, it also hosts fundraisers to support causes that are near and dear to members.
“THE GYM was founded in Bergen County and has a tremendous commitment to the area and its members,” said Mike Dardano, a representative for THE GYM. “The atmosphere at the facility is like family. That can take many forms. One way is to capture that emotion for a common cause. Fundraising events … bring members together with a goal that can be shared by everyone and reminds them about the other things in life that are very important.”
For the fourth year in a row, THE GYM recently completed its annual fundraiser for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation (TNBCF). TNBCF is a charity that funds breakthrough research to support the discovery of promising new treatments and services for patients with triple negative breast cancer. According to TNBCF, the aggressive form of cancer generally doesn’t respond well to receptor-targeted treatment.
This year’s fundraiser allowed THE GYM to donate $10,000 to TNBCF, bringing the gym’s total contributions to the organization over the past few years up to almost $30,000.
To raise funds, THE GYM hosted a variety of cause-themed events, including a DJ-led group exercise class, and a Push-Up Contest where members sponsored trainers to see how many push-ups they could do. In addition, t-shirts were sold with all proceeds going to TNBCF.
According to Dardano, although TNBCF is a national organization, it is based locally, so it was easy to get members on board. “Second, this form of cancer is hard to treat,” he continued. “Many of our members, team members and their families have been affected by this and other forms of breast cancer. People want to fight back against cancer and our team at THE GYM, along with our members, rallied to the cause.”
Dardano added, “We are all in this together. In and out of THE GYM. These fundraisers keep everyone focused and grounded.”
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Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.
