The Planet Fitness Warriors gave a child waiting at a bus stop a toy for the Create Your Own challenge.
On Aug. 13, Planet Fitness® employees took to the streets of Redford, Michigan, to shower the city with good deeds.
The four-person team, called the Planet Fitness Warriors, was participating in an event, Rally for Redford, coordinated by the Redford Jaycees. The first-time event was inspired by the Jaycees’ Pay it Forward campaign and encouraged teams to complete a series of good deeds in an allotted timeframe. Rally for Redford was the showcase event for the annual Jaycee Week, which is a series of community events.
“The goal of Rally for Redford was to simply spread positivity around Redford Township by paying it forward,” said Susan Dials, the event coordinator. “One random act of kindness can be the spark that changes someone’s day, and they, in turn, can positively affect another person’s day and the momentum can build.”
The Planet Fitness Warriors was one of seven teams given a list of 34 tasks to complete within three hours. The PF team was the only team to complete the entire list within the timeframe.
Dials approached Planet Fitness Redford to see if the franchise would be interested in the opportunity to support the community as a sponsor for the event. “We jumped at the opportunity to get involved with this unique event and decided it would be fun to form a team for the event as well,” said Karen Ryan who manages the PF Michigan Group, LLC location.
Not only did the event give the Planet Fitness team a chance to bond, it made the day of several Redford residents.
The Planet Fitness Warriors chose the Redford Grill & Bar as their favorite restaurant and gave a letter of appreciation to the owners.
The tasks each had a corresponding hashtag, and teams were encouraged to post pictures with the hashtags to social media in an effort to further spread the good vibes.
A few of the challenges included: #DrivethruDonation, where teams were expected to pay for the car behind them in a restaurant drive-thru; #MovieMemories, where the Planet Fitness Warriors left a bag of popcorn on a Redbox machine; #RedfordRestaurants, where participants appreciated their favorite Redford restaurant with a handwritten note; #ChalkChivalry, where groups wrote encouraging chalk messages on the sidewalk throughout Redford; and #BookBuys, where teams paid for someone’s past due library fees.
For the #Createyourown task, the Planet Fitness Warriors bought a toy for a child waiting at a bus stop. “The #Createyourown was one of our favorites because it gave us a chance to be creative,” said Ryan. “One challenge that was difficult to complete, but especially fulfilling, was #ThanksVets, which is where we went to a vet’s house and personally thanked him for his service.”
Over 250 random acts of kindness were completed during the Rally for Redford event. The event was such a hit the Redford Jaycees plan to make it a reoccurring part of the annual Jaycee Week, and Planet Fitness Redford looks forward to participating in the coming years.
“One of PF Michigan Group’s core values is ‘people first.’ We are thrilled to see our managers and employees promoting these values within their surrounding communities. We applaud Karen and her team for their initiative and community outreach,” said Pete Hopkins, franchisee for PF Michigan Group, LLC, which owns 27 PF locations in Michigan and Ohio.