Today I spoke with one of the men we worked with March-July at Rescue Mission. Actually, several of the men and women stay in contact with me. This man I haven’t spoken with in a month, however. He wanted to let me know how much the Living Free Health & Fitness programming meant to him. His story now is very similar to those of others with whom I have recently spoken.
First of all, this man demonstrates humility and gratitude. He follows direction and practices principles he has learned from Living Free Health & Fitness and Las Vegas Rescue Mission. “G” specifically mentioned the importance of having brought fitness and healthy eating to his program of recovery. He has lost 50 pounds. He pays 100% for his own gym membership. He is employed and has career aspirations of going into firefighting. “G” anticipates helping others through service work. He says much of his confidence and how well he feels is tied to having gotten into the gym to rebuild his body, mind and confidence. He learned the importance of these things to recovery through us – our classes, our fitness groups and our 1-on-1 chats.
Quite frankly, we spent A LOT of money on subsidizing those gym memberships this past summer. And we had a lot of drop-outs and failures to adhere to the program. Occasionally, I have questioned my decision to invest that heavily into the memberships.
But then, I get feedback like this. And I hear and see the metamorphosis. And I know I did the right thing with our donors’ monies, and the revenue we earn through sales of our courseware.
I also know that the money we spent on 44 people over four months wouldn’t have covered one week for one person’s stay in 30 day residential treatment. So, our approach not only improves outcomes, it’s incredibly cost-effective.
Thank you to our generous donors and volunteers. We are making a difference and helping to permanently change lives and lifestyles for the better.