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Juneteenth is a U.S. federal holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. In 2020, EPIC Fitness formed a committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), which began searching for ways to promote and foster equality.

EPIC Fitness wanted to commemorate the Juneteenth holiday by giving back to charity organizations in three different communities. The company’s general managers, regional managers and corporate staff all chipped in to give their time to organizations that rely solely on the work of volunteers. In total, 84 employees from the franchise group volunteered their time between the three organizations.

One of the organizations EPIC Fitness selected was HOPE, a Detroit-based nonprofit that works to overcome racism and poverty in the community by providing education and training for underrepresented minorities. The franchise team members in Detroit worked with FOCUS: Hope.

Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. June 20, the volunteers worked on improving an entire block of a neighborhood in Detroit. The group made a positive impact on the neighborhood block by filling an entire dumpster with weeds, debris and garbage; building and finishing four gabion baskets; planting two trees; weeding, pruning and seeding a butterfly meadow; and cleaning out several flower beds and building new plant beds to be used for community vegetable gardens.

EPIC Fitness also worked with Gleaners Community Food Bank in Taylor, Michigan. The Toledo and Grand Rapids teams spent Juneteenth in the Gleaners Community Food Bank warehouse, organizing and boxing food to be distributed. The group worked hard, and by the end of the day, they had packed a total of 10,080 pounds of food into 336 boxes. This effort by the team will leave a lasting impact on the local food bank and community.

Lastly, the franchise group’s New Hampshire employees worked with Gather’s Portsmouth warehouse. Gather is an organization that distributes healthy food to people experiencing food insecurity. PF Michigan unloaded trucks with shipments of food donated from local stores. The products needed to be organized to go to the community later that day. Additionally, the team built pallets for the family markets that were held later that week.

Since this year’s volunteering efforts were so successful, the franchise group plans on volunteering next year and has discussed how it can make next year’s volunteering efforts even bigger!

First responders risk their lives every day to help those in need, acting as local heroes. Many times, first responders are the first people to help when someone is in a dangerous or life-altering event. Alder Partners decided to share its gratitude for first responders by donating a large amount of fitness equipment to the local fire department in East Boston.

Alder Partners has had Planet Fitness^® locations in East Boston for more than 15 years, so the area feels like home to them, making the donation an easy decision. Alder Partners is remodeling one of its clubs in East Boston, so the group donated its old equipment to all the Revere, Massachusetts, fire house locations. The donation included a set of dumbbells, a cable machine, two treadmills and three bikes, as well as four televisions.

“We are so grateful to our local first responders, many of whom work out in our gyms on their days off, so we were thrilled to give back to them as they protect our neighborhoods each and every day,” said Stanley DeMartinis Jr., managing partner at Alder Partners.

Many of the firefighters are longtime Planet Fitness members, as staying in shape is an important part of their job. It worked out perfectly that Alder Partners renovated its East Boston location and therefore was able to donate the older fitness equipment.

The group was able to donate more equipment than the firefighters ever expected. The Revere Fire Department posted on Twitter, thanking Alder Partners for the donations, as well as the group’s professionalism during the process. The donations will help local firefighters stay in shape and therefore, help them be able to save more lives!

Alder Partners opened a new location in the Atlanta area this past April. The new location is in Brookwood Market Place in Johns Creek, a northern suburb of Atlanta. Alder Partners opened its first Planet Fitness^® in 2011 in Decatur, Georgia, and has since opened 26 locations in Atlanta.

To celebrate the grand opening, there was an official ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce. The event featured light refreshments, as well as prizes that included a 55-inch television and autographed items donated by the group’s NBA partner, the Atlanta Hawks. The items donated by the Atlanta Hawks included one autographed basketball and one autographed jersey.

The group’s Johns Creek at Brookwood Market Place club already has over 1,600 members. The location’s neighboring tenants include Home Depot, PNC Bank, Starbucks, Taco Mac and Target.

To celebrate the new location, Alder Partners also donated $1,000 to the local Boys and Girls Club in the area. The group is committed to giving back to the Boys and Girls Club, donating money to the organization each time it opens a new location. This donation reinforces the group’s commitment to creating the next Judgement Free Generation^®.

Like many things, exercise equipment does not last forever due to wear and tear. When the exercise machines at Planet Fitness^® have run their course, the equipment is oftentimes donated to local businesses. That way, the equipment does not go to waste.

In June, the Clancy/Hamilton group reequipped its Milford, Middletown, Mason and Tri County locations in Cincinnati, leading the group to donate $1 million in equipment to the Cincinnati Police Department. Equipment was also replaced at the Emergency Communications Center, Youth Services, Districts 3, 4 and 5, and other police facilities, according to Fox 19. In total, about 200 pieces of fitness equipment were donated, including treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, arc trainers, stairmills, Smith machines and dumbbells.

The Clancy/Hamilton group has members with police background. For example, Clancy/Hamilton PFMW Partner and Chief Operating Officer Mike Hamilton, his brothers Bob Hamilton and Jim Hamilton and their father are former police officers from upstate New York. Their background made the donation even more dear to their hearts.

When asked what the Cincinnati Police Department wanted to improve their health and wellness, many officers answered they wanted more fitness equipment.

“It was a match made in heaven. There’s a lot of equipment being transferred to our location in Mason, multiple locations within the Cincinnati Police Department as well as the Sheriff’s Department and some Cincinnati Public School locations,” said Capt. Steve Saunders of the Cincinnati Police Department.

This is not the first time the Clancy/Hamilton group has lent a hand to the community. In 2020, the team built a mini-Judgement Free Zone^® in a Boys and Girls Club in Cincinnati. Over the years, the group has also donated a few pieces of cardio equipment to several local police departments. The franchise has plans in the future to assist with a local fire department.

As home of the Judgement Free Zone^®, Planet Fitness^® strives to create a community where everyone is included and feels like they belong – inside and outside its fitness clubs. One way the brand commits to this idea is to support Pride Month. After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, the Denver Pride Parade and festival finally returned June 25-26. Jost ADK Inc. and the Colorado Collective sponsored and participated in the event, showing their support for Denver Pride.

Jost ADK and the Colorado Collective, which is an informal organization made up of all seven ownership groups in Colorado, participated in the event at the Corporate Sponsorship level. The group had two Planet Fitness pink jeeps in the parade and handed out 1,000 rainbow-colored Planet Fitness koozies along the parade route.

Jost ADK and the Colorado Collective have been sponsors and participants of the Pride Parade since 2016. The group strongly supports the Denver Pride festivities every year because they believe it aligns with the PF^® judgement free, all-inclusive philosophy. Jost ADK and the Colorado Collective looks forward to participating with the parade and festival next year!

Ever since 1975, the Denver Pride Parade has occurred, spanning 14 blocks of Colfax Avenue from Cheesman Park to the Civic Center. This year, the Denver Pride Parade had many participants celebrating Pride Month. Over 100,000 people attended the parade and Pride Festival throughout the weekend. Jost ADK and the Colorado Collective had over 25 attend and walk in the parade this year.

“After a two-year pandemic hold, the Colorado Collective is very pleased to participate in the Denver Pride Parade and proud to be joined by Colorado Gov. Jared Polis for a quick chat and picture during the parade,” said Horquidea “Kiki” Mannshardt, director of operations at Jost ADK.

Jost ADK also showed its support for Pride Month by having Pride Week June 20-26, in which team members in all nine of its clubs were allowed to wear something colorful at work. Team members loved being able to show their pride!