BFT Shepparton studio manager Lacey Paaka, and trainers Noah Betancourt and Jay Humphries (right), with Life Without Barriers operations manager Nic Hart and regional director Wendy Hazeldene.
BFT Shepparton showed no hesitation and plenty of perspiration to help children in need of a safe home.
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The local gym turned its regular Super Saturday workout sessions into a show of community spirit on October 25, partnering with national not-for-profit Life Without Barriers to raise awareness and boost recruitment of foster carers in the region through the organisation’s Sharing is Caring campaign.
“We thought it would just be a really good opportunity for us at BFT to help support and get the word out about foster care in Shepparton,” BFT Shepparton studio manager Lacey Paaka said.
“We see people in the gym every single day, and we understand how important it is to have community support so that they can thrive — it’s the same for kids as well.
“Everyone needs someone in their corner, and that’s why we wanted to get involved.”
To sum up the event: think pink.
Gym-goers dressed in pink, the studio was decked out in pink decorations, and pink frosted cupcakes greeted participants after each of the three morning classes.
An LWB information stall (also pink, of course) offered locals a chance to learn more about becoming a foster carer.
A booth was set up for gym-goers to find out more about foster care.
Additionally, LWB regional director Wendy Hazeldene gave a brief talk before each class, discussing the many ways people could contribute to the cause.
“At the moment, all agencies across Victoria are struggling to recruit foster carers,” she said.
“BFT has a really strong gym community, and we were able to tap into that to spread awareness.
“It’s probably not what you’d think of doing to recruit foster carers — it’s a little out of the box, but it worked really well.”
The message behind the “out of the box” campaign carried more weight than a dumbbell, prompting LWB to consider similar collaborations with BFT gyms in other states.
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