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On Aug.17, National Fitness Partners opened its 108th location in downtown State College, Pennsylvania. The new club is 18,900 square feet and includes two hydro loungers, 90 pieces of cardio and more. This is the group’s second club opening in the State College market.

The new club expects to have many members who attend or work at Penn State since the college is located so close. As part of the new club opening, the franchise group worked with Katie Feeney, an influencer who goes to Penn State and has over 900,000 followers on Instagram. Feeney promoted the club opening on her social media channels. The franchise group chose to work with Feeney because she promotes lifestyle content that is in line with the PF^® brand and her ability to reach potential club members at the nearby university.

National Fitness Partners hosted an official grand opening event Sept. 22 filled with tons of fun for attendees, including co-branded Penn State University and PF-related giveaway items, raffles, games, music, food and more. Feeney was on-site helping to promote the opening by showcasing the new club, talking about the raffles, games and join offer opportunities.

The franchise group also partnered with Penn State University athletics to give back to the community through its Sack for a Cure promotion. Through the partnership, each time the Penn State Nittany Lions sack an opponent at the college’s Beaver Stadium, NFP will donate $1,000 to THON, which is a student-run philanthropy at Penn State that strives to improve the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer. The organization provides emotional and financial support and helps fund cancer research. In 2021, National Fitness Partners donated $20,000 to the cause and hopes to raise even more this year!

Teachers are constantly busy with lesson plans, grading homework and teaching, but the roles were reversed when Pennsylvania instructors hit the classroom for learning. In August, members of National Fitness Partners taught a CPR class for teachers from Little Paradise Day School in Broomall, Pennsylvania. Area Director Dan Zimmerman, Field Trainer Alexis Ortiz and General Manager Melvin Ortiz led the class of 16 teachers who needed to be recertified.

Zimmerman wanted to teach the CPR class because he saw it as a unique way to help in the local community. “It was really great to be able to impact the community in this way. Knowing that we are certifying teachers to save lives is a special opportunity, especially when you’re training individuals who work so closely with our youth,” he said.

Teachers must be certified every two years, and it can be hard for them to squeeze in the time to be recertified with all their other responsibilities, so having a CPR class at the school helped make their lives a little easier.

Amber Eder, a teacher at the school, shared how helpful NFP hosting the class was for her and others at Little Paradise. “It was one of the longer CPR classes I have taken, but it was the best. My co-teacher has never taken a CPR class, and she learned a lot and had confidence that if something were to happen, she would know what to do,” she said.

With inflation impacting budgets, many parents are struggling to afford expensive school supplies. Planet Fitness^® wanted to give back to families and help in a time when finances may be tough for many parents. That way, parents and students alike can focus on learning, rather than how to afford needed supplies for the new school year.

Carrying on a tradition launched by Impact Fitness in 2017, Impact Fitness and EPIC Fitness Group partnered together to host an in-club Back-to-School Supply Drive in all their Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, British Columbia and Ontario locations. The collection campaign ran Aug. 1-21 at 98 Planet Fitness clubs, and approximately 10,000 items were collected. Items donated by generous PF^® members included writing utensils, notebooks, art supplies, cleaning supplies and backpacks. All items were distributed to local Boys & Girls Clubs of America across the Midwest and Canada.

“Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan is grateful for our partnership with Planet Fitness. Over the years, they have supported our clubs, youth and families in a variety of ways. This Back-to-School campaign removes the barrier of access to essential tools and resources and allows youth to enter the school year ready to learn and ultimately to be successful,” said Alise Dixon, chief program officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan.

At Planet Fitness^®, the goal is to keep members healthy and happy with an emphasis on fitness – that includes recognizing specific days, weeks and months throughout the year that spotlight the importance of exercise to overall health and well-being. Houston Fitness Partners recently celebrated National Women’s Health and Fitness Day on Sept. 28. The day is set aside to promote health awareness and fitness for all women.

To mark the occasion, Houston Fitness Partners invited female club members to bring a female guest with them to any one of its 34 Planet Fitness locations in the Houston area. The offer was extended to all female members regardless of membership type and allowed the women to celebrate together and encourage each other on their fitness journeys.

Houston Fitness Partners set out to use the day to promote awareness of health and fitness among the female segment of its membership, and while this was the franchise group’s first time celebrating the holiday, it hopes to continue to recognize the day in future years.