Community Family Fitness Centre opens in Windsor
After close to an entire year of restrictions, Windsor’s only social enterprise fitness facility is open.
A grand opening event took place Friday morning, complete with a ribbon cutting. The same day other gyms across Ontario were also permitted to open their doors.
“We’ve had our grand opening planned four different times and had to cancel it four different times,” Angela Yakonich, executive director with the Windsor Family Homes and Community Partnerships, says. “So, today is the day and just fingers crossed that we stay open!”
Yakonich says the family-oriented gym will put funds back into programs for homelessness, housing, food security, youth fitness, youth health and more.
“A lot of these kids have spent a year and a half at home in front of screens, so, we’re really, really excited to have these programs for kids to come. The awesome thing is these programs are free,” Yakonich adds.
She says the location at 900 Howard Avenue is already home to Windsor Family Homes and Community Partnerships and to the Kids First Food Bank.
Yakonich says officials with both saw the need for more supports for a vulnerable population, so with a little creativity and a lot of planning, Community Family Fitness Centre was born.
Staff say the centre will offer free sport and health and wellness programs to children and youth who would otherwise not be afforded the opportunity due to financial barriers.
Revenues are made from trainers like Brad Bellevance renting the space.
“We’re the only facility in Windsor that is operating as a social enterprise,” he says.
Bellevance serves as head trainer and says there are plans to bring more on board soon.
The Coordinator of Fitness and Health tells CTV News he believes more gyms like these are to be anticipated, saying demand is high.
“With the last year and a half being locked down, the lack of social interaction with people, I think it’s safe to say that it’s taken a big hit on people’s mental health including the youth,” Bellevance says.
Anyone interested is asked to check out the Community Family Fitness website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Fire in Labrador town under control, officials tells residents to stay away
RCMP say the fire that prompted a state of emergency in a Labrador town is now under control.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.