Fitness Gives Back By Ellyn Santiago
t’s that time of the year and we believe at Fit941 it’s true that to give is better than to receive. It just feels better. In our communities, people are generous and giving generally, but in the fitness community, the generosity knows few bounds, so we’re taking a look at the many ways that Fitness Gives Back, keeping in mind that this is by no means a complete look at all the ways folks get fit while giving back in the 941, but from walks, runs, marathons, triathlons and other multisport events, to events held in local gyms like burpee challenges and Zumba-thons, or gyms that donate portions of member fees to charity or hold silent auctions as charity fundraisers, fitness is about getting and giving; getting healthy while giving back. Talk about win-win.
I
The Big Ones (Walks)
The October 2016 Making Strides of Sarasota-Manatee Walk had more than 1,700 participants in 240 teams raise more than $200,000. “The Walk is one day in October. The fight is every day 26 HOLIDAY 2016
before and after.” Visit MakingStrides. AcsEvents.org for details.
raise its $150,000 goal. Visit Act.Alz. org for more information.
Before the ice bucket challenges of a couple of years ago, most people knew amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The Sarasota 2017 ALS Walk is slated for March 4 in Phillippi Estates. Walkers raised more than $50,000 in 2016, so it’s a big event and helps bring much needed research funding dollars. If you’re looking to lace up for ALS, visit alsa.org for more information on how to participate.
March of Dimes’ March for Babies of Manasota-Englewood is held annually and raises tens of thousands of dollars. The walk supports programs that help moms have healthy, full-term pregnancies, and funding research to find causes and preventions. The 2017 walk is set for April 29, 2017. Visit MarchForBabies.org to learn more.
Walks to End Alzheimer in both Sarasota and Manatee counties held in November raise tens of thousands of dollars every year. The Manatee County walk exceeded its goal in its October walk raising nearly $65,000. At press time, the Sarasota walk at Nathan Benderson Park was on target to
FIT941.COM
The JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) One Walk is the “flagship fundraising event draws more than 900,000 people who raise money for type 1 diabetes (T1D) research each year,” according to the JDRF One Walk site. The April 2017 Lakewood Ranch JDRF Walk has a fundraising goal of around $216,000. To learn more, visit Jdrf.org. The 2016 Suncoast Heart Walk held at Nathan Benderson Park in September raised more than $230,000. The Heart Walk is the American Heart Associa-