Active RVA Fitness Warriors Graduation Sends Ripples through RVA
by Jon Lugbill
The 2015 Active RVA Fitness Warriors program trained 17 individuals over five months to be certified group fitness instructors. In exchange for the instruction, the Warriors offered free classes in underserved neighborhoods. Sports Backers created this program with the help of the Anthem Foundation to bring active living classes to all corners of our community. Neighborhoods with particularly high rates of heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and obesity were targeted as the logical choices to have these classes.
I recently attended the Active RVA Warriors’ graduation ceremony, and it was unlike any I had seen before. Both young and old relatives of the graduates were in attendance. Screaming and yelling were part of the celebration and were encouraged. The positive energy and enthusiasm was contagious. There were moving stories of how the graduates have impacted their communities. One warrior helped someone lose 60 pounds; another helped a woman drop two dress sizes. One warrior even helped an individual eliminate the need to take their diabetes medication. Yes, the Active RVA Fitness Warriors graduation ceremony proved to be a uniquely special evening at the Trinity Family Life Center.
Burke King, President of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Virginia, kicked off the ceremony by stating, “We proudly support the Active RVA Fitness Warriors because of the positive impact fitness programs have in fighting chronic disease.” Ruth Morrison, the Active RVA Outreach Manager, was the emcee for the evening and successfully made the graduates the center of attention. Ricky Martin was the main group fitness instructor, and he had to stop several times during the evening to keep his emotions in check. His pride in the growth and success of his pupils was clearly evident.
The graduates had received plenty of information during the training about the benefits of active living from Abbey Johnson, a Center for Disease Control Fellow who works for the City of Richmond Health District. Abbey did an excellent job of letting the families and friends of the graduates understand the importance of the health benefits the Fitness Warriors brought to the communities that they were serving. When the last graduate was announced there was a well-deserved standing ovation from the crowd.
Following the ceremony, Mark Taylor, one of the graduates, came over and introduced himself, and I knew he looked familiar. He remembered we had met a couple of years before when we went running together with the River City Runners of Color. It turns out he had also helped coach the YMCA 10k Training Team at Southside Plaza. As we were talking, I was struck by how the connections in our community overlap and become intertwined.
I turned around and Mike and Sue Ann Curran introduced themselves. Sue Ann had just graduated and shared her story of working with Abbey Johnson to set up fitness classes in a housing project at the Blackwell Community Center. She taught a group fitness class on Tuesday but found that her attendees wanted more. She learned how to teach Zumba classes and started doing those classes every Thursday. This past year, she also coached both the Sports Backers 8k Training Team as well as the YMCA 10k Training Team at the Midlothian location. Her husband Mike then mentioned how he had run with me and a group of runners two years ago to find a course for what turned out to be the CarMax Tacky Light Run. He excitedly stated, “The Tacky Light Run is my favorite event. The Walton Park neighborhood was so lit up, and the party stops were just awesome.”
Now a trend was starting to take hold. I’m not sure how many of the graduates had some prior relationship with Sports Backers, but it was evident that our idea of turning our participants into fitness advocates working to spread the joy and benefits of physical activity across the community had real traction.
As I got in my car, I replayed in my mind a statement read about graduate Taimani Scott’s impact from one of her class participants, “You’re a natural leader! You’re exactly what our community needs. I know when I was a kid, I didn’t have any women of color in my environment exemplifying health and fitness. The ripple effect you create in your classes and the community is immeasurable”.
As I drove through the Northside, I had a huge smile on my face and realized that Ricky Martin, Abbey Johnson, Ruth Morrison, Anthem, and Sports Backers had just supported the creation of 17 powerful sets of ripples in the community.
Side Note: Use of the Active RVA Brand
The Sports Backers are part of the Active RVA movement and use the Active RVA name and logo to signify programs that are aimed at generating sustainable community initiatives that promote physical activity. Active RVA is an open source brand, as a result, the logo and name are available to any group, company or organization that wishes to use them to promote physical fitness. If you would like a copy of the logo for your use please contact Ashlee Snider at [email protected].