CLARK, N.J. - May 19, 2020 -After Tutela Training Systems was forced to close its gym on Raritan Road two months ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic, gym owner and former firefighter Chris Tutela had to make some quick decisions about how to handle his business going forward.
Rather than completely halting the service, Tutela had an idea: What if he could support first responders, front line workers, and struggling small businesses while continuing to educate, motivate, inspire people everywhere through fitness?
Out of this idea was born Tutela Training Systems' virtual fitness training to keep people healthy and fit during the quarantine while raising money for local businesses and front line workers.
Tutela and his team decided to use social media to run live workouts for anyone, anywhere interested in getting fit. In the early weeks of the pandemic, they collected donations of any amount for participating in the workouts, donating all proceeds to a different small business each week.
They raised more than $2,500 for four different small businesses. That's when Tutela thought: "why stop here?"
The answer came with an even bigger idea: a Virtual Transformation Challenge to continue to help people transform their health while raising money to support Clark FLAG, a new initiative established to show thanks to essential workers by providing them with meals from local restaurants. The Virtual Transformation Challenge includes meal plans, grocery lists, and live training at a cost of $30, with all proceeds to be donated to Clark FLAG.
In addition to the challenge, Tutela will continue to run weekly live Facebook workouts to raise funds for different organizations. The next session, scheduled for 10 a.m. EST on Sat., May 23, will support the Clark Fire Department.
Tutela himself was a firefighter for three and a half years, so he is aware of the risks involved in the job.
"They risk their lives for us on a daily basis and they've increased that risk substantially over the last few months," Tutela said. "It's the least that we can do to show our support."
To participate in the fundraiser for the Clark Fire Department and other fundraising workouts, follow Tutela Training Systems on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TTSclarkNJ and log on when they go live on Saturdays at 10 a.m.
Watch a video from Chris Tutela about how to build arm muscle from home while on quarantine at
https://youtu.be/rryUw0vqkPE.
Learn more about Tutela Training Systems at Tutelatraining.com. Follow Chris Tutela on Instagram at @chris_tutela.
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