An industry stalwart since 1988, Justin Tamsett of Active Management has given more to the Australian and international fitness industry than most. Always one to take corporate social responsibility seriously, Justin chose to make Fit for Good Active Management’s preferred charity immediately after our launch in April this year. During his recent FitnessBiz and PTBiz national workshop tour, Justin allocated $15 from each registration to Fit for Good. Upon completion of the last workshop in Melbourne on 25 November, Justin announced that Fit for Good would receive a whopping $2,100 from this initiative. What can we say? Blown-away? Flabbergasted? Ecstatic? All of the above and more. A huge thank-you to Justin and all his sponsors for making this a reality. It’s our largest single donation to date and we are absolutely thrilled!

Fit for Good Ambassador Deb Roach working hard to finish setting up the Gym the day before the launch!

On Tuesday 15 November, Sydney’s landmark supportive housing initiative – Common Ground – was opened by the Federal Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness, Senator Mark Arbib, the NSW Minister for Community Services, Pru Goward and the NSW Minister for Finance and Services, Greg Pearce.

Fit for Good is absolutely thrilled to have launched its first fitness facility in this project. Founder of Fit for Good, Lisa Champion, Executive Director of Australian Fitness Network, Nigel Champion and Fit for Good Operations Coordinator, Becky Lissing, were on site offering their support on this special day. After attending the launch, Becky said ‘I honestly had no idea what a huge event this would be and to see how many people this complex will be helping really is so heart warming!’

Fit for Good would like to say a HUGE thank you to Vicki and Charles Tuchtan, who donated the hydraulic resistance training equipment, as well as David Allan, Central Operations Director of Fitness First, who organised the donation of six spin bikes from Fitness First. Fit for Good is so appreciative of these donations and none of this would have been possible without their support!

On Sunday 20 November, Madeline Vartan and her team from Ora Health & Fitness (www.orafitness.com.au) ran a fun run around the Melbourne Botanical Gardens to raise funds for Fit for Good. More than 25 participants were involved and many more clients attended the BBQ after the run. The event raised an incredible $400 for Fit for Good! According to Madeline, “I’m so proud of my clients for working so hard to achieve the fitness to maintain the distance during the run/walk. The hard work paid off while we enjoyed a relaxing BBQ overlooking the Yarra River. A big thank you to all the clients and families of Ora who made the day so successful”

Fit for Good could not be happier with this huge success and would like to thank Madeline and everyone at Ora Health and Fitness for their generous contribution.
Would you consider running a fundraiser for Fit for Good through your fitness business? No matter how big or small, from running a ‘free boot camp session’ where you collect a donation for FFG or planning a fun run, walk or cycle, to running a trivia night or having a gold coin donation campaign – we would greatly appreciate the support! To find out more, visit www.fitforgood.org.au/fundraise-cover

Back in September, Australian Fitness Network donated its second online Certificate III scholarship to a very excited recipient, Bradley Traynor, of Nowra NSW. Brad got stuck into the course straight away and recently sent us this update:

‘I'm 22 years old and love the beach, travel, guitar and Muay Thai. I got into fitness through Muay Thai and have been slowly learning about fitness, nutrition and diet and how it affects your body during training and preparing for fights. I have also picked up a few tricks on increasing strength, power and stamina throughout my studies. I believe that being fit and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the key to living a long and happy life! I'm doing OK in my studies and am really enjoying learning everything this course has to offer. I hope to achieve a broad knowledge on how I can help other people (and myself) reach our fitness goals. I also plan to use the knowledge gained to better my performance in my training and fighting. I'd like to thank Fit for Good for allowing me the chance to become a fitness instructor.’

Fit for Good wishes Brad the best of luck in completing his course and in his journey to become a fitness professional!

We are incredibly thankful for, and appreciative of, all the hard work our volunteers do. This month Fit for Good would like to recognise Kathy Engelbert for her contribution. Kathy started off by very kindly donating a brand new TRX to use at the Common Ground fitness facility. She then volunteered to teach a weekly yoga class to Mission Australia staff members at the NSW State Office in Sydney. Early next year, Kathy will also be teaching yoga classes at Common Ground. We can’t thank her enough for her outstanding effort and extremely generous and warm heart.

Meet Kathy: ‘Hi, I’m Kathy, I have worked in the fitness industry since 1992 as a group fitness leader and personal trainer, mainly now with Fitness First. I have taught a range of classes, love participating in fun runs like the City2Surf and have also completed two half marathons. I aim to lead by example, and love helping others achieve their goals. I have really enjoyed volunteering for Fit for Good and teaching yoga for the last three weeks to Mission Australia employees. Together we have explored some Asanas or poses (some of which have been a little scary!), Prananyama (breathing techniques to control the energy in the body and stress less!) while practising Ahimsa (going slowly and respecting the body's limits). Part of being a Yogi is to give back to the community; I am lucky to have the opportunity to do this with Fit for Good.’

Ever in pursuit of equipment to stock the small fitness facilities in Mission Australia centres, Fit for Good recently approached Marietta Mehanni, International Gymstick Program Coordinator and Master Trainer, to ask if she could help us source some Gymsticks. Marietta promptly spoke with Darren Round from Gymstick Australia, who agreed to provide 10 Gymsticks (worth over $1000!) for these centres. And then Marietta followed up with an offer to produce a DVD for the Mission Australia clients to help them perform a great workout with the Gymstick! How great is that?! We can’t wait to get some photos of the clients doing their workouts. Stay tuned!

We received another fantastic donation of brand new clothing from Reebok Australia and want to extend another HUGE thank you! This clothing is such an important part of the service we offer individual Mission Australia clients – the chance to receive a care package with exercise clothing and footwear. Thanks to the team at Reebok!

We are currently looking for fitness equipment for no less than five Mission Australia centres! Here’s just one example of what we need:

We have previously told you about Triple Care Farm (TCF), one of the first services that Fit for Good was able to support. Late last year, TCF received a grant to build a fitness facility. The money has been spent on constructing a shed with concrete floor, now covered with gym flooring. We have had some very generous donations from equipment suppliers so far, namely Goodlife Health Clubs, HF Industries, QPEC and Punch Boxing to whom we say a heartfelt thank you! We are still looking for weight training equipment and benches to turn this space into a first class gym! Can you help? Time is running out as we’d like to supply this equipment before the students’ Graduation Day on 15 December.

The other programs we are supporting need all kinds of gear – so please email lisa@fitforgood.org.au if you have equipment that you’d like to donate!

Our volunteer training program will be up and running very soon. If you have already completed your Volunteer Application form, please be on the look out for an email inviting you to complete the training program. For new volunteers, this will become an automatic part of the process. Thanks again to everyone who has volunteered. We haven’t yet found jobs for everyone, but your support is invaluable and as Fit for Good grows, so will our volunteer opportunities.