Southgate Planet Fitness Member Gets a Helping Hand From Local Police Department

Recently, a member of the Planet Fitness club in Southgate, Michigan, which is part of Impact Fitness, received a helping hand from the local police department.

Frank Gajeski is a well-known member of the Southgate community, and he cannot drive because he is legally blind – he goes everywhere on foot. However, one day there was a very heavy snowfall. Gajeski called the Southgate police department to ask whether the roads and sidewalks were safe enough for him to take his usual morning walk to Planet Fitness so he could exercise. Sergeant Nathan Mosczynski answered the call, and he quickly offered to send an officer to give him a ride to the gym. In the course of their conversation, Gajeski mentioned that he had fallen on hard times and that it was the last day he would be able to go to the gym prior to having to cancel his gym membership.

In response, the sergeant sent Officer Ryan Venner to drive Gajeski to the gym, but he didn’t just help with arranging a ride – he sent Venner with $10 to cover the cost of Gajeski’s gym membership for the next month.

Venner picked up Gajeski to give him a ride to Planet Fitness, and he made a stop to give his passenger a coffee and snack break. When Gajeski was done with his workout, Venner gave him a ride home to ensure that he got there safely.

Local news picked up the story. “When word got out of this act of kindness, the club was overwhelmed with calls from local residents offering to pay for Frank’s membership,” said Sarah Wilson, marketing manager for Impact Fitness. “An anonymous member of the community paid for the next 12 months of Frank’s membership.”

It is wonderful to see how kindness begets more kindness and how thoughtful both the police department and the community were, but the story doesn’t end there.

“As a thank you to Sargent Mosczynski, Officer Venner and the Southgate Police Department, the Southgate Planet Fitness team surprised the police department with pizza and cupcakes later that week,” Wilson explained. “Sargent Mosczynski and Officer Venner were also surprised with complimentary 12-month Black Card Memberships as a thank you for going above and beyond for their community.”

It is very touching to hear such stories of generosity, especially these days when we could all use a reason to smile, and it is heartwarming to see the positive energy that was sent out into the world by the Southgate community.