Julia Sanders

Planet Fitness^® franchisees work hard to give back to Boys & Girls Club of America locations across the country. Taymax Group partnered with Planet Fitness Headquarters to donate a mini Judgement Free Zone^® to the Boys & Girls Club in Nashua, New Hampshire, about an hour from PF^® headquarters.

The 442-square-foot mini JFZ center is located inside a Boys & Girls Club at One Positive Pl. CDM Fitness Holdings donated the fitness equipment for the center, which has 10 pieces of cardio and strength equipment. Boys & Girls Club members ages 13 and older will be able to access the fitness center. The goal of the center is to provide teenagers with the opportunity to work out in a safe place without the risk of bullying.

“This fitness center will provide enhanced fitness opportunities and help build our kids’ confidence and self-esteem, enabling them to reach their full potential,” said Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua Craig Fitzgerald.

The franchise group held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 8 with Planet Fitness CEO Chris Rondeau in attendance. PFHQ lent a helping hand to the donation efforts by assisting with the equipment donation. While Taymax does not have any local clubs near the mini JFZ in Nashua, New Hampshire, the town is where CEO Tim Kelleher grew up, making the donation that much more special!

The winter can be a hard – and expensive – season for many, which is why Taymax had 25 of its Canadian locations participate in a holiday drive for local Boys & Girls Clubs. Although the franchise group has 30 locations in Canada, five locations do not have a Boys & Girls Club in their community. The holiday drive ran from mid-November to mid-December.

The donations ranged from toys to winter clothing to non-perishable food items. Each club donated two to three bags full of toys, non-perishable goods and other items. The donations were given to 14 local Boys & Girls Club locations, including BGC clubs in Kawartha Lakes, Ottawa, Peel, Albion, Southeast, Moncton, Saint John, London, Durham, West Scarborough, Eastview, Pembroke, Hamilton-Halton and Cornwall. The franchise group’s field leadership team worked closely with each Boys & Girls Club delegate to make sure the families were well supported through the donations.

“We feel very thankful to be included in this initiative and know it will make the holidays of many families brighter. Thank you to Planet Fitness^® for supporting Boys & Girls Club Southeast,” said Amanda Guarino, associate director of BGC Southeast.

This was the second year in a row Taymax has participated in the holiday drive, and the group hopes to grow the drive more each year.

In 2018, a little boy named Grady Smith was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called adrenoleukodystrophy or ALD, which damages the protective covering surrounding nerve cells called myelin. This membrane controls thinking and muscles.

Luckily, Grady received a bone marrow transplant that helped save his life. Now, Grady’s family works to give back, as they know firsthand how scary it can be to have a loved one with a medical condition. They created Grady’s Gifts, a fundraiser providing holiday gifts, incentive gifts, treats and more to patients.

Taymax Group supported Grady’s Gifts for the fourth year in a row by donating $2,000 to the cause. The franchise group decided to donate because Grady is a resident near the company’s headquarters in New Hampshire, and they were moved by Grady’s desire to give back year after year.

The franchise group welcomed Grady and his family to Taymax’s HQ office where the company presented them with the donation for Grady’s Gifts and gave Grady’s family a fun surprise of Celtics tickets. Grady and his brother, Colin, also helped Taymax celebrate the opening of a new club by ringing the celebratory bell.