PFIFA

PF Growth Partners Teams Up With Sox in the Box Program

Planet Fitness Growth Partners has teamed up with 8-year-old Miracle Omar to help with her Sox in the Box program. The program aims to collect new pairs of socks and distribute them to homeless or needy individuals throughout the Washington, D.C., area.

The Ivy City PF® location in Washington, D.C., along with clubs in Landover and Greenbelt, Maryland, agreed to feature collection boxes where members and staff could donate pairs of socks.

“Miracle initially came into the Landover Planet Fitness® and spoke with our management team about partnering with her on her journey to give back,” said regional manager Justin Drummond. “She mentioned that she and her two friends often try to give to the homeless. It all started with handing out toiletries in a park that is known for having a high population of homeless people in Washington, D.C.”

Sox in the Box collected over 700 pairs of socks to hand out to homeless or needy individuals.

Sox in the Box collected over 700 pairs of socks to hand out to homeless or needy individuals.

This is the first time that Planet Fitness Growth Partners has partnered with Omar, but the Sox in the Box program was able to collect over 700 pairs of socks, with the Ivy City club being the largest contributor. Omar has two additional boxes set up outside of Planet Fitness – one in a local salon and one in her elementary school.

“The members loved the idea of what this donation program represented,” said Drummond. “Our Ivy City location actually has a homeless shelter around the corner from the club. The members really got behind the cause.”

Drummond also noted that, while employees did participate in the program, roughly 95 percent of donations came from members.

Omar and two of her friends distributed the socks at Franklin Square Park on Nov. 12. The outcome was overwhelmingly positive, and Omar hopes to make Sox in the Box an annual program.

“When speaking to the management teams who participated in this community outreach, all said this was a no-brainer. To see an 8-year-old girl and her friends so committed to making a difference in strangers’ lives was priceless,” said Drummond. “We had to hop on board and support our community. On a monthly basis, our clubs participate in various community outreach programs. This is our way of not only giving back to the community, but showing that we are also a part of the community.”

in Uncategorized  by 03 Jan 2017

Anchor Management Group Opens Doors to Those in Need in Wake of Hurricane Matthew

When tragedy struck in late September and early October in the form of a catastrophic hurricane, Planet Fitness® was there to help restore a little normalcy to the lives of community residents.

Hurricane Matthew blew over Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and the southeastern United States, claiming over 1,600 lives. Even more were left with damaged homes and no power.

Ten Planet Fitness clubs located throughout Georgia and South Carolina opened their facilities to the victims of Hurricane Matthew. Members and non-members alike were able to drop in for a hot shower and to use the locker room amenities which were available for up to two weeks after the storm.

“Once the storm hit and passed, we had already made the decision to open up our doors to anyone in need once we were available to do so,” said Joe Pilotte, operations manager for Anchor Management Group, which owns the 10 locations. “That was the easy choice as there were so many people without power and displaced from their homes for long periods of time.”

The Charleston Police Department used Anchor Management’s Citadel Mall Planet Fitness location as the base of operations during Hurricane Matthew.

The Charleston Police Department used Anchor Management’s Citadel Mall Planet Fitness location as the base of operations during Hurricane Matthew.

Throughout the course of the storm, the 10 Planet Fitness locations in the affected area ended up closing their clubs at various times due to evacuation orders and for the safety of members and employees. Anchor Management also helped by making Airbnb arrangements for staff members if needed.

“It was a stressful time coordinating everything in such a fluid situation,” said Pilotte. “It was a long week prior to the storm even impacting the area. Our operations team had to monitor the storm 24/7 as the path was constantly updating and changing.”

In order for everything to run as smoothly as possible in the midst of chaos, the operations team developed a pre-storm closing checklist for each club prior to closing for evacuations. Employees shut down breakers and unplugged equipment in order to prevent damage from power surges. There was also a re-opening checklist to ensure that each club was safe and could re-open as soon as possible.

As soon as the locations were open, they began making their facilities available to those in need. Pilotte estimates that an average of 20 families per location took advantage of the locker rooms and hot showers.

Anchor Management was able to keep members updated on closures and re-openings via its Constant Contact marketing system and also maintained text messaging threads for each market so that staff members could communicate amongst themselves.

Pilotte notes that the various clubs had a few electrical items damaged and a few roof leaks, but overall the clubs escaped any real catastrophe.

“We were lucky to be able to open up as quickly as we were following the storm after seeing the damage it caused throughout the South,” said Pilotte. “We received some great feedback from the community members who came in. They felt we gave them a bit of an uplift following a very stressful event. Many were without power for days so they were more than happy being able to go to work feeling clean and energized. The small amount of normalcy we were able to give went a long way.”

in Uncategorized  by 03 Jan 2017

Aiken Fit Sponsors, Participates in 37th Annual Whiskey Road Race in South Carolina

On Nov. 12, roughly 15 members, employees and their spouses from Aiken Fit, LLC’s Planet Fitness® location joined together to participate in the Cumbee Center Whiskey Road Race. The race, which is in its 37th year, benefits the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons and includes a 2-mile, 5K and 10K race.

In addition to the team of 15 runners and walkers, Planet Fitness was also a formal sponsor of the event. PF® had six water stations set up in addition to providing 300 Planet Fitness-branded bottles of water. Participants also received a goody bag, which included a coupon for a free PF enrollment.

This was the first year Aiken Fit had sponsored the Whiskey Road Race, and participation was largely fueled by PE@PF trainer Nikki Baxley. Baxley worked as an assistant manager for the location before obtaining her training certificate, which she has had for a little over six months. Baxley started out with zero regular students for her PE@PF classes, but that number quickly grew to over 25 members who sign up on a weekly basis.

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Members and employees of the Aiken, South Carolina, Planet Fitness location gathered to participate in the 37th annual Whiskey Road Race that benefits victims of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Baxley created such camaraderie within the group that several regulars have formed a group called the “Gym Sistas.” These ladies work out with Baxley weekly and have started a monthly Healthy Eating Friday where they each bring in a healthy dish and recipe to share with the group.

“The Gym Sista’s also try to push one another outside the club, and that’s how Planet Fitness got involved with the Whiskey Road Race,” said manager Daniel Keigans. “Everyone that took part in the race had a blast and could not wait to sign up for another event.”

Staff members created an in-club white board advertising the race, and anyone who was a PF member that signed up for the race got a free Planet Fitness Choose Kindness T-shirt.

“We’re proud of our staff who, under their own initiative, gave their time and effort to support this worthwhile cause both as volunteers and participants,” said franchisee David Rondinone. “Proceeds from the race went to the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons, a benefit which stands for everything Planet Fitness believes in.”

 

in Uncategorized  by 27 Dec 2016