Troubled teens take 24-hour fitness challenge

Troubled teens take 24-hour fitness challenge

Monday July 18, 2011

A fitter you – a healthier community. One extraordinary North Shore fitness club has opened its doors to troubled teens, offering the chance to, literally, work out their problems. And now Freedom Fitness in Birkenhead is calling on the wider community to join those teens with a free gym membership it’s dubbing the Walk of Freedom.

The free membership starts now and finishes on July 29 with a 24-hour gym-a-thon to raise funds for Christchurch earthquake relief and local charities.

Freedom Fitness business manager Wayne Roycroft says the aim has always been to make the club much more than just a gym. Instead it’s a place for people to flourish mentally as well as physically.

To that end the gym has welcomed a number of youth into its fitness programmes with the help of Child Youth and Family. Roycroft says these otherwise at-risk youths have honed their fitness and kickboxing skills to the point where they have already performed at one fundraising event for the Red Cross Canterbury Earthquake Appeal. They have also performed kickboxing displays at Freedom Fitness open days.

“The Walk of Freedom is our way of showing our admiration and support for what they have achieved, while giving back to the community,” Roycroft says.

Time spent by these CYF youths on the gym-a-thon may count as time served on community service sentences some of them must fulfil.

A number of activities will take place throughout the 24-hour gym-a-thon including the Walk of Freedom participants performing 500 kickboxing kicks and "Work Out of the Week". Funds raised through sponsorship of the participants will be sent to the Red Cross Canterbury Earthquake Appeal.

Chefs for Compassion, a volunteer programme to provide meals for families, will also be organising participants to cook and serve food to charities at the event.

Mental Health Foundation Northern Development manager, Amanda Bradley says flourishing communities contribute not only to the wellbeing of a community, but the nation as well. ”

ENDS

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