This isn't about having amazing abs, it's about helping your community...
We (Randy & Kate Crafton) moved to Siloam Springs almost three years
ago and began training friends and strangers in our garage. Since then,
God led us to open a gym in Siloam Springs that encourages wellness and
overall fitness. Our members have been able to come off medications,
use their strength to help in crisis situations and live better lives.
Three weeks ago we had the opportunity to put an offer in on a building
downtown that will be the future location for Red Beard Fitness, Cross
Country Cyclery and a small market for local, healthy foods. But now we
need your help! Our vision for our complex is to have a central meeting
place where people can experience diverse areas of fitness and encourage
each other. If we can come up with $24,000 in 30 days we'll be able to
help our
neighborhood, surrounding areas and our own children with learning how
to live a healthier
lifestyle. This is an uphill battle when our local obesity rate is 39%
and our diabetes rate is nearly THREE TIMES the national average! We
need our community to get involved!
The breakdown of what we want to provide:
- 100% of your donations will go toward the down payment and
renovation of our health complex, making it ADA accessible so we can
help more people!
- If our Indiegogo campaign ($24,000) is fully funded Red Beard
Fitness will be able to
sponsor two families, every 6 months, and provide them with nutrition
counseling and gym access three times a week...giving them the tools
they need to create a better lifestyle for them and their children in
the future at no cost! According to Bridges To Wellness, one of the
biggest problems that we face in the area is people being
able to afford health centers and gyms. We currently sponsor individuals
that otherwise couldn't pay for a gym membership and will be able to do
it on a
larger scale with a new facility. Do you know of someone who is trying
to change their life but can't because of finances? Email us at
redbeardfit@gmail.com.
- We want to show you that we appreciate you! Do you want to create and
name a workout to test the mental toughness our members? Do you want
some great bearded gear? Do you want to come to our opening party at
this amazing warehouse that used to be a hula hoop factory? We have lots
of ways you can support a great cause and still get some fun goodies as
well. We will contact you about shirt types/sizes and backpacks when the campaign is fully funded!
Why we want to support Siloam Springs:
If you live in Siloam or surrounding areas you know that our poverty and
obesity rates are extremely high. Arkansas was named the 9th most obese
state in 2011 and moved up to 4th most obese in 2015. Community Clinic reported 70% of patients have
chronic illnesses including obesity, hypertension, congestive heart
failure and diabetes. We want help residents make better food choices
and get out and get moving in all different ways! This isn't just a gym
that thinks that their way is the ONLY way to stay fit. We want anyone,
including non-members, to be able to walk in the door and be connected
with any type of fitness that they're interested in. Weight lifting,
walking, running, biking, kayaking, yoga, dance, jiu jitsu and more! We
can give you the names and information of people in the community that
are interested in the same sports and activities!
Until 3 years ago
neither of us had interest in being a healthy example for our children.
Then we found an area of fitness that we fell in love with and through
that we discovered how to help others. It takes daily support and
teaching someone the tools of clean living to truly change habits that
you've had for life. Our facility also has plans to become a meeting
place for Bridges to Wellness, to hold healthy lifestyle programs for
residents.
But it has to happen NOW!
We have a VERY short time to raise funds for this beautiful, historic
building in downtown Siloam Springs. It's all or nothing! Without your
help we won't be able to buy and renovate the building, which has
potential to grow and expand to change even more lives! In less than a
year our membership started with 3 people and has grown to over 70
members. Those members are encouraging their friends, family, coworkers
and even strangers to make changes that lead to lower healthcare costs
and better quality of living. The more people that we reach the better
we can make this community with that domino effect! Take a minute to
watch our videos so you can hear some of the stories that have come out
of just a few months of teaching people to value health and wellness.
When our facility brings more people to Main Street it will also
increase revenue for our small businesses in the downtown area!
#siloamsgotit
Other Ways You Can Help...
Don't have the funds to support the campaign? You can still help! Share
our story with your friends and family through Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram and through email! Or do you have books that you can donate to
our little library? Feeding your mind is just as important as taking
care of your body. We let anyone in our community take or donate books
from the RBF little library and we're always looking for more!
Want to more more about RBF?
Follow us on Instagram (@redbeardfit) or on Facebook (facebook.com/redbeardfitness).