News

January 11, 2019

For-Profit and Non-Profit Organizations Unite to Rally the Community and Raise Money for an Important Cause that Impacts Millions of Women and Saves Lives

When for-profit organizations and non-profits unite it can really have an impact on the community. This is exactly what happened when Best Fitness, which has local fitness facilities, and the American Cancer Society, which organizes the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, combined forces.

Best Fitness recently donated a check worth more than $15,000 dollars to the American Cancer Society after months of fundraising to support a cause that is dedicated to fighting breast cancer. However, the money raised was only a small part of working with and supporting the non-profit organization. Best Fitness decided to get really involved and rally the community as well as create awareness. They decorated their fitness centers and provided special shirts for their employees, all in pink. They also helped to organize teams made up of staff, members and anyone who was interested in participating. They promoted the walk in multiple ways. They worked hand-in-hand with the American Cancer Society leading up to the event to make sure everything was on track.

“We absolutely love working with organizations like the American Cancer Society because it allows us to give back to our community. We have members affected by breast cancer and almost everyone knows someone who has dealt with this disease. That’s why we felt it was important to not only support this great cause, but to do it in a very interactive and action-oriented way,” said Eric Taylor who is director of sales and operations at Best Fitness. The company works with several non-profits each year to raise money and create awareness.

According to the American Cancer Society, the walk was a big success. Despite a cold and windy day, they had 18,000 walkers and raised $680,000 dollars.

“We are so proud of the support we received from the Capital Region this past year. It is always so inspiring the way the community rallies around our mission. Corporate partners such as Best Fitness are an important aspect of our event, and we could not accomplish what we do without them,” said Chris Falzarano who serves as senior community development manager for American Cancer Society.

Falzarano explained that for-profit partners are a big part of their equation as many are able to provide a critical element – awareness. “Aside from helping to raise crucial funds to support our life saving mission, partners help spread awareness about our organization, our mission, and information on breast cancer to help save even more lives,” he said.

Falzarano is always hopeful that additional for-profit companies will consider supporting non-profits to which they feel they have alignment and similar values. “It is important to have community partners join in your mission. Together, you can be a united force in your community.”