For over two decades, Train the Trainer (TTT) fundraisers have been building teams of motivated and dedicated members, coaches, donors, and community supporters all wanting to have fun, push themselves, and raise money for a great cause. This year, this event has blown expectations and raised $85,000 across 7 IF locations!
“Train the Trainer is my favourite time of the year because it showcases many things that embody ‘team’. Train the Trainer has generated over $2M over the past 21 years, supporting a wide variety of community charities. We could not be more pleased with our member and team contributions, and the alignment with paying it forward in the communities we serve in the name of physical literacy.”
– Matt Young, Innovative Fitness Co-Founder, 60 Minute Kids’ Club Co-Founder, Director of Business Development – the Sport for Life Society
One of the key elements that makes this fundraiser stand out is its personal connection to the people involved. This is not an arm’s length fundraising event. It is an event that strengthens the deep bonds between the coaches and members by flipping the roles and responsibilities – challenging everyone to play outside their comfort zone. Add in some creative costumes, lactic acid inducing workouts, and vibrant community cheerleaders, the event truly brings the IF community together with a theme of teamwork woven throughout each gruelling exercise and dollar raised.
This year for the first time we saw the Train the Trainer community grow with the involvement of Sport for Life Society teammates participating at each location. Their positive feedback was overwhelming!
“How could anyone not be impressed by the punishment the trainers took to raise funds for Sport for Life and the 60 Minutes Kids Club! The Sport for Life team express our appreciation to everyone at Innovative Fitness for their tremendous support.”
– Richard Way, CEO, Sport for Life
“IF is more than personal training – they provide a real lifestyle change, which is unique in their space. The Train the Trainer event was a real snapshot of that relationship, as well as the commitment of IF to invest in their communities.”
– Drew Mitchell, Director of Physical Literacy, Sport for Life
“The ear to ear smiles throughout the event are clear signs of how this experience resonates with those involved. Watching the coaches supporting each other through the muscle pain, costume changes, and child-weighted pull ups, you can tell that this is how these teammates support each other day in and day out. The community is stronger having this positive and team focused energy released from the IF team each day.” – Elisa Maruzzo, Engagement Manager, Sport for Life
Putting this event together is no simple feat. Having leaders that encourage and inspire the coaches to continually push themselves is a key ingredient to the success and sustainability of the event. For the IF Principals, this leadership mentality is second nature – not just in their words, but in their actions as well.
“The Train the Trainer event is so much fun – it’s great for the IF members to get a chance to give back to charity while ‘giving back’ to their coach. Our coaches are willing to put their bodies on the line to raise money for proactive health care in their communities, and it is a testament to their character. We truly hire the best people and have the best members.”
– Yoshia Burton, IF Principal – Abbotsford
“My favourite part of Train the Trainer is seeing all the creative exercises, costumes, and ideas that members come up with! We’re happy to do it because it’s for such a great cause – anything to help the next generation live happier and healthier lives!”
– Bret Hodge, IF Principal – Kitsilano
60 Minute Kids Club will continue to be rolled out all across the country, with the goal of inspiring kids to take control of their healthy habits. With IF and Sport for Life joining forces in the battle for healthy and active living, we can anticipate that their efforts will lead to results not seen in this space up to now. With values such as accountability, focus, leadership, manpower, tenacity, legacy, and fortitude leading all the work we do, we are driven by the insatiable passion we have for active and healthy living. We are driven to engage everyone around us to bring the power of physical literacy and quality sport into their lives and the lives of others.
To everyone that has donated to this cause – in dollars, in sweat, and in cheering us on – we thank you. We look forward to giving you more updates on our efforts with the ‘movement for movement’. We look forward to engaging you – in your communities and around the country.
—
Innovative Fitness Team
