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Fitness is fun(draising) Exercise for a good cause is a workout everyone can champion 
When Ardy Kassakhian was asked to help raise funds for a non-profit group that advocates children's health in Glendale, Calif., he knew he had to start with his own health first. "I was 283 pounds," recalls Kassakhian, 33, a former board member for Glendale Healthy Kids. "It was difficult for me to reconcile me asking kids to lose weight when I could not. So I decided to try to lose 100 pounds. For every pound I lost, I was going to donate $10 to this organization." Through hiking, hiring a personal trainer and working out with the All About You! Wellness Boot Camp, Kassakhian lost 30 pounds in four months and donated $300 to Glendale Healthy Kids, which helps kids gets access to health and dental care. More importantly, his idea motivated more than 20 others to participate in his weight loss for charity concept, resulting in $1,000 donated to the non-profit. The idea is being repeated this year on a larger scale, with a community wide goal of losing 2,000 pounds through a 5K race, exercise groups and weight-loss seminars. "As we all know, it's sometimes difficult for people to stay on track with fitness and nutrition, but knowing they are raising money for a good cause gives them extra incentive to stay on track," says Elaine Miller, 45, co-founder of All About You!, a sponsor of "Lose a Ton in '10". Non-profit organizations across the nation have found fitness as a useful fundraising tool, including walkathons, marathons and more unusual events like the Stair Climb to the Top in Los Angeles, the Ketchum-Downtown YMCA's annual race up 75 flights of stairs in the U.S. Bank building, the tallest building west of the Mississippi. Participants were offered a chance to get in shape by training for the event by climbing the stairs of a nearby 50-story building. Most participants, which included firefighters climbing in their full gear, walked or ran their way to the top, then rode an elevator back down. Overall, 1,800 participants paid a $100 entry fee and recruited donations from supporters for the stair climb, raising $315,000 for the YMCA's community programs. And best of all, they felt great afterwards. "Anytime you can climb 1,500 steps, it's a great workout," says Mario Valenzuela, lead wellness coach at the Ketchum YMCA, who completed the stair climb in 14 minutes and 4 seconds. Most participants completed the climb in between 20 and 45 minutes. Similar stair climbs, called Big Climb For Cures, have also been held in tall buildings in Minnesota, Alaska, Seattle, New York City and New Jersey by chapters of the The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, whose chapters have also sponsored a Race to Anyplace - a relay race that takes place entirely on stationary bicycles. Over the past 21 years, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training program, a groundbreaking charity sports training program, has raised $1 billion to support blood cancer research and patient services. Animal lovers also have opportunities to work up a good sweat for a good cause. When the Animal Rescue League of Boston recently found an injured, abandoned dog that had been used as bait for dog fights, 35 people showed up for a spinning fundraiser at Spynergy Cycling Studio in Wellesley, Mass. Through the spinning event and other efforts, more than $5,000 was raised towards the dog's $10,000 medical bills. "The spirit in the spin studio that day was wonderful. Everyone was really positive and had fun," says participant Leslie Mann, a real estate agent from Hopkinton, Mass. And for those who wonder whether fundraising for fitness has lasting effects, just ask Kassakhian. "I've kept the weight off and I've challenged myself this year to lose another 30 pounds," he says. |
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