CFW’s dog (and Cat) days of summer give “paws” for a good cause
Written by: Kendall Rosen, CFW Senior Health Fitness Program Manager
Ask just about anyone in a management position, and they’ll likely confirm: as the heat and humidity go up, productivity in the workplace inevitably goes down. Increases in vacation days being used, extra daylight hours allowing employee minds to wander to end of day activities, and the lethargy that accompanies rising temperatures can come together to create the perfect storm that causes output and energy to plummet. That’s why it’s integral to an efficient work environment to implement strategies to keep the workforce energized. A recent Forbes article suggests sidelining your office norms and capitalizing on downtime to innovate.
Enter your fitness center team! A CFW-managed site in the Philadelphia area decided to meet some of those summertime challenges head on while addressing two additional client priorities of community engagement and stress management. Capitalizing on the trend of pairing small animals with yoga, the team created Paws & Mats and put together a proposal to meet internal and external goals.
With an external focus of expanding its philanthropic reach, the Team began looking for local animal shelters and 501(c)3 organizations. Within a short time frame, a partnership was formed with Hart2Heart Animal Rescue. The fitness center held two full classes and hosted a post-event meet and greet featuring 4-6 month old kittens from multiple litters. The event gave the kittens an opportunity to socialize with each other and new people and allowed interested fitness center members to meet the founder of Hart2Heart and learn more about fostering and adoption opportunities. One hundred percent of registration fees went to the shelter and additional food and supply donations were accepted during the event.
Internally, the Team was able to reach out to members and provide a unique experience to help decrease stress and create buzz while breaking away from traditional programming. Members provided rave reviews and have already requested additional classes. The team is currently in talks with another local rescue organization to provide puppy/small dog classes with the same design.
As an organization, Corporate Fitness Works prides itself on the creativity and enthusiasm of its professional staff. Our Team Leaders get the opportunity to combine the goals and needs of the sites we manage with those of the members we serve. These relationships allow for customized programming that reflects the culture of the sites we oversee and helps us all beat the dog (and cat) days of summer!