Gifford Fitness Held Their Annual 24 Hours of Heroes Fundraiser
At the end of June, Gifford Fitness, a gym in New Brighton, whose aim is to inspire people to be better, surpassed their goal of raising $20,000 during their 24 Hours of Heroes fundraiser for Alexandra House! This fundraiser has grown over the past three years, and the work Gifford Fitness has done to support Alexandra House is inspiring.
The 24 Hours of Heroes fundraiser started in 2021 as a fundraiser to support four non-profits that provide services to individuals experiencing PTSD. Each workout of 24 Hours of Heroes is named after military personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. June is PTSD Awareness Month, making it an especially impactful time to recognize the significance and raise awareness of PTSD. When Gifford Fitness chose Alexandra House as one of the four organizations to benefit from this fundraiser, they helped raise awareness about how often women experience PTSD, especially those who experience trauma from domestic and sexual violence. In fact, a 2017 study states that women are at two to three times higher risk of developing PTSD than men. Many studies attribute this to the high and disproportionate number of women who will be victims of a traumatic event such as sexual assault or domestic violence.
Gifford Fitness’s goal for the first fundraiser was to raise $600 per organization, which they surpassed, raising $1,000 for each beneficiary. In 2022, Gifford Fitness made plans for a second 24 Hours of Heroes fundraiser, but this time with Alexandra House as the sole beneficiary of the fundraiser. AND – they upped their goal to $10,000! Gifford Fitness chose to focus their efforts on Alexandra House since their 24 Hours of Heroes athletes, coaches, and supporters felt the biggest connection to our mission and values. In 2023, Gifford Fitness contacted Alexandra House for the third annual 24 Hours of Heroes with a new goal…to raise $20,000! Did they meet this? No, they EXCEEDED it!
Gifford Fitness raised $21,388 for Alexandra House in their third annual 24 Hours of Heroes fundraiser!
A few weeks ago, Amanda F., Alexandra House Community Engagement Coordinator, had the opportunity to speak at Gifford Fitness about Alexandra House and the 24 Hours of Heroes fundraiser. The environment was energetic; athletes and coaches were committed to their workouts and dedicated to supporting Alexandra House. Amanda shared how when victims/survivors come to Alexandra House, just because they are in a safe place doesn’t mean their mind, body, and soul is ready to drop their armor. They have been in survival mode for so long that it takes time and space before they can work on healing. Advocates are instrumental in this process as they work directly with Alexandra House program participants to understand what they need in order to feel powerful and reach a place where their body, mind, and soul can prioritize healing. We are so grateful to have this partnership with the Gifford Fitness gym and community, and we look forward to next year’s 24 Hours of Heroes!
Gifford went from a goal of $600 in 2021 to raising over $20,000 in 2023. So much work went into achieving these goals, from the marketing work of the Gifford team, the coach’s support, new workouts being created, to the literal sweat of athletes and those cheering them on! However you participated in 24 Hours of Heroes, THANK YOU!
