Area businesses have the opportunity to support a small, nonprofit organization that is marking its 10th anniversary.
Day One Fitness plans to celebrate in style with a gala on Nov. 15th at First Baptist Church of Augusta on Walton Way.
In advance of the event, businesses can sign on as sponsors to help underwrite the gala.
“Businesses can really support us by purchasing a table or a sponsorship. We have some other sponsorships that are a little bit higher, that have a little bit more perks to them, that also come with table seats as well,” Executive Director Danielle Williams explained for ABD. “We are not charging any of our boxers and their spouses to come to the gala. So, by sponsoring a table, that helps offset those costs.”
Day One Fitness opened its doors in 2015 in an 8,000 square foot facility in Beech Island. Its mission is to provide patients with neurological disorders with tailored, high-intensity, non-contact boxing exercises. The classes are based on research that found specific and appropriate exercise can slow the progression of diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as helping patients recover from a stroke.
George Montgomery of Aiken was diagnosed with Parkinson’s, and intense exercise was recommended. He has been coming to Day One Fitness for a year for the structure.
“I’d have to try to do something on my own at one of the gyms, but I don’t have an instructor, so I don’t push myself like you do here,” he said. “I would miss it if it wasn’t supported, and unfortunately, I can’t support it by myself. I think it helps a lot of people, and if it wasn’t supported, it would be a loss to people with situations like mine.”
The organization that tracks data related to non-profits is the National Center on Charitable Statistics (https://urbaninstitute.github.io/nccs/). Its most recent report found the failure rate for nonprofits in the first 10 years is more than 30%.
“In the nonprofit world, you kind of take it every year as it comes, and you just hope that you’re going to find that the support where you need to find the support, and you’re going to find the people that need the programs year after year. And when you get to that point, you’re just so thankful that the next years just keep coming and coming,” said Williams.
Williams said that is why they decided to have the gala to mark their 10th anniversary. It is an opportunity to celebrate the people that have walked through the door, people who have benefited from the programs, and to celebrate people who have contributed in some way.
“Because we could not be where we are today without the support of so many people in our community, whether that’s the fighters themselves or their family members who choose to take off time from work to bring them here so that they can do what they need to do for them, for their health, or the students that are coming in and getting valuable knowledge so that they can take that with them when they start their careers,” said Williams.
To become a sponsor, buy a ticket to the gala, or learn more about the work of Day One Fitness at: https://www.dayonefitness.org/
