On March 20th, THE MAX Challenge reduced their monthly membership rate to assist those facing financial hardship amidst the COVID-19
Crisis. In the true spirit of THE MAX Challenge, members who didn’t necessarily need the reduction were encouraged to pay it forward. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with many members either offering to continue to support the fitness franchise, asking if they could help fellow members who are struggling by covering all or a portion of their monthly fee, or committing to donate the money that they’re saving to local charities.
“Moments after we announced our intentions to the members, the messages started pouring in,” said Bryan Klein, Founder/CEO of THE MAX Challenge. “This not only brought a smile to my face and tears to my eyes – it also filled my heart with hope. People are good. A situation like this brings out the best in us. Together, we will not only get through this, but we will shine brighter than ever for the world to see.”
There was a common theme among the messages sent by members – they said they were grateful for the opportunity to stay active and practice self-care from the safety of their homes with THE MAX Challenge’s new virtual classes, and, for those who could, just as grateful for the opportunity to pay forward the reduction in membership.
“THE MAX is more than just a gym; it’s a family,” said Michelle Van Tassel, a member at THE MAX Challenge of Staten Island, Arthur Kill and one of the many people across the country who offered to continue paying in full. “That feeling of dedication and wanting to help your family extends to all our mat mates and very much so to our awesome and dedicated owners.”
“Thank you for your generosity!” replied Lori Hamilton, a member from THE MAX Challenge of South Brunswick. “I wish I could do more, but I’d like to pay one month’s membership for someone who is cancelling or struggling at this time,” she said.
Kim Lachapelle, owner of THE MAX Challenge of South Windsor, set up a GoFundMe account to handle the abundance of requests she received to pay forward the reduction in membership fees. “When we announced to our members that we would be granting a 25% discount to help them out financially during the COVId-19 pandemic, the responses immediately started pouring in – ‘Keep it.’ ‘Gift it.’ ‘Use it to help pay for a member who lost their job,’” she shared. “We then started a pay-it-forward campaign. Members could take the discount and donate to our campaign with an understanding the monies would be allocated among members in need due to COVID-19, in addition to the South Windsor food bank and Senior Center. The generosity of our members continues is nothing
short of amazing. We have raised $1700 as of today!”
The sentiment among owners of THE MAX Challenge also shares a common theme; immense pride in their members and the communities they serve.
THE MAX Challenge officially launched its first Virtual 10-Week Challenge at nearly all locations on Monday, March 30th. This program includes live/on-demand virtual fitness classes, online cooking demonstrations and nutrition counseling, weekly motivational webinars, virtual group walks, and more, all with the intention of helping members to practice self-care, stay motivated, and stay positive through this difficult time.
