Recently I was undertaking some online research and stumbled upon an American search result that grabbed my attention: ‘Charity-Driven Gyms Are Popping Up All Over The Country.’ Gyms undertake random acts of charity all the time, but these new gyms are different in that they embed charity at the very heart of their business.
So, this is the story of The Movement, a recently opened boutique fitness studio in New York City, US, that operates according to the philosophy of ‘give back, move forward’ – enjoying the intrinsic joy and satisfaction of exercise while simultaneously helping others. It donates US$1 per person per class to The National Brain Tumour Society, not just for a few days, but every day of the year.
It’s the first fitness business I’ve discovered that donates a portion of every single sale it makes.
How the studio started Jordan and Dana Canino are lifelong athletes who envisioned a studio that would allow them to make a positive difference to the lives of others. However, their definition of ‘others’ is far wider than just the customers who attend the hybrid cardio, strength and yoga classes at the 297sq m (3,200sq ft) facility. They started with the question: How do we create a place where people are not only changing their own lives, but also the lives of others?
Deeply embedded charity When a business aligns itself with a charity, there should always be some compelling story that drives the partnership. Across the United States, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million non-profit organisations. Many would be worthy of our support – so how do we choose? Why did The Movement select The National Brain Tumour Society (NBTS) as its charity partner?
According to the NBTS, 700,000 Americans are living with a primary brain tumour and 69,000 more will be diagnosed this year – and in my research, I discovered that Andrea Canino, Jordan’s mother, had died of a brain tumour when he was just 18. This was therefore a deeply personal cause, giving purpose and meaning to The Movement.
“Our hope is to start a true movement: the idea that, when you give back, you’re enabling yourself to move forward. It motivates people not only to go to a class and get their sweat on, but also to help fight a terrible disease,” he says.
Impact to date IHRSA data suggests there are more than 30,500 gyms across the US, with boutique studios regularly popping up, so what does the American media have to say about The Movement? Well, for a small studio only open since May 2014, it’s already generating quite a buzz: ‘The Movement Ignites a Charitable Fitness Revolution’, ‘Fitness studio ready to stand out’, ‘The Rise of Charity Driven Gyms’, ‘Five Fitness Studios That Give Back’ are just four headlines that show how its philosophy has captured the attention.
The new studio is currently only operating 30 classes a week while it gets up to capacity. However, this already translates into a donation to the National Brain Tumour Society of US$1,000 a month. The expectation is that they will reach 56–70 classes a week by September 2014, meaning donations should double. Equally importantly, they’re raising awareness of the charity every time someone interacts with the business.
I dedicate this workout to… I recently read an article about The Movement written by Heidi Kristoffer, a highly rated American yoga instructor. In the article, she recalled a comment made by an instructor during a class she had attended at another gym: “If you feel like you can’t do it for yourself, do it for someone else who needs this more than you do.”
Kristoffer found the idea of mentally dedicating her workout to someone other than herself a very powerful concept. Now imagine this being amplified by everyone else in the class, across all classes, every day of the year. Suddenly that Tuesday evening class at 8.00pm that you’re half-minded to skip takes on a whole new meaning. “Sometimes we need to do things for ourselves, but often the power of doing something with the intention of helping the greater good, or just one other person, can be life-changing,” added Kristoffer.
So what can your business do? Your organisation is probably already working with one or more charities, but the relationships may be superficial and only short-term. Here are a few ways you could maximise your social impact: * Discover a charity partner that shares an authentic common purpose with your business. * Ensure your charity partner and its cause genuinely mean something to your primary stakeholders (staff, customers, suppliers, investors). * Commit to working together over the long term – think ‘partner’ more than ‘a date’. * Visualise a successful and socially useful outcome and plan towards it. * Help drive a project rather than simply handing over money. * Don’t send out a press release until you have meaningful results to share. What matters is impact, not intention.
Well, I’m going now because I need to work out and I’m dedicating it to my late mother. Who will you be dedicating your next workout to?
Gymtopia – a place where clubs do social good
Ray Algar
Gymtopia was conceived by founder and chief engagement officer Ray Algar, who believes the global health and fitness industry has enormous influence and potential to do good in the world, beyond its immediate customers. The idea of Gymtopia is simple: to curate and spread remarkable stories in which the fitness industry uses its influence to reach out and support an external community in need. It was created with the generous support of five organisations: Companhia Athletica, Gantner Technologies, Les Mills, Retention Management and The Gym Group.
Read more stories and submit your own: www.Gymtopia.org
IN A NUTSHELL
Initiative by: The Movement – www.themovementfitness.com Location: New York, US Project status: Ongoing Impact: National Gymtopia keywords: Environment, Education, Health & Wellbeing, Medical Research
The couple have chosen a charity close to their hearts, as Jordan’s mother died of a brain tumour when he was aged 18
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
Recently I was undertaking some online research and stumbled upon an American search result that grabbed my attention: ‘Charity-Driven Gyms Are Popping Up All Over The Country.’ Gyms undertake random acts of charity all the time, but these new gyms are different in that they embed charity at the very heart of their business.
So, this is the story of The Movement, a recently opened boutique fitness studio in New York City, US, that operates according to the philosophy of ‘give back, move forward’ – enjoying the intrinsic joy and satisfaction of exercise while simultaneously helping others. It donates US$1 per person per class to The National Brain Tumour Society, not just for a few days, but every day of the year.
It’s the first fitness business I’ve discovered that donates a portion of every single sale it makes.
How the studio started Jordan and Dana Canino are lifelong athletes who envisioned a studio that would allow them to make a positive difference to the lives of others. However, their definition of ‘others’ is far wider than just the customers who attend the hybrid cardio, strength and yoga classes at the 297sq m (3,200sq ft) facility. They started with the question: How do we create a place where people are not only changing their own lives, but also the lives of others?
Deeply embedded charity When a business aligns itself with a charity, there should always be some compelling story that drives the partnership. Across the United States, according to the National Center for Charitable Statistics, there are more than 1.5 million non-profit organisations. Many would be worthy of our support – so how do we choose? Why did The Movement select The National Brain Tumour Society (NBTS) as its charity partner?
According to the NBTS, 700,000 Americans are living with a primary brain tumour and 69,000 more will be diagnosed this year – and in my research, I discovered that Andrea Canino, Jordan’s mother, had died of a brain tumour when he was just 18. This was therefore a deeply personal cause, giving purpose and meaning to The Movement.
“Our hope is to start a true movement: the idea that, when you give back, you’re enabling yourself to move forward. It motivates people not only to go to a class and get their sweat on, but also to help fight a terrible disease,” he says.
Impact to date IHRSA data suggests there are more than 30,500 gyms across the US, with boutique studios regularly popping up, so what does the American media have to say about The Movement? Well, for a small studio only open since May 2014, it’s already generating quite a buzz: ‘The Movement Ignites a Charitable Fitness Revolution’, ‘Fitness studio ready to stand out’, ‘The Rise of Charity Driven Gyms’, ‘Five Fitness Studios That Give Back’ are just four headlines that show how its philosophy has captured the attention.
The new studio is currently only operating 30 classes a week while it gets up to capacity. However, this already translates into a donation to the National Brain Tumour Society of US$1,000 a month. The expectation is that they will reach 56–70 classes a week by September 2014, meaning donations should double. Equally importantly, they’re raising awareness of the charity every time someone interacts with the business.
I dedicate this workout to… I recently read an article about The Movement written by Heidi Kristoffer, a highly rated American yoga instructor. In the article, she recalled a comment made by an instructor during a class she had attended at another gym: “If you feel like you can’t do it for yourself, do it for someone else who needs this more than you do.”
Kristoffer found the idea of mentally dedicating her workout to someone other than herself a very powerful concept. Now imagine this being amplified by everyone else in the class, across all classes, every day of the year. Suddenly that Tuesday evening class at 8.00pm that you’re half-minded to skip takes on a whole new meaning. “Sometimes we need to do things for ourselves, but often the power of doing something with the intention of helping the greater good, or just one other person, can be life-changing,” added Kristoffer.
So what can your business do? Your organisation is probably already working with one or more charities, but the relationships may be superficial and only short-term. Here are a few ways you could maximise your social impact: * Discover a charity partner that shares an authentic common purpose with your business. * Ensure your charity partner and its cause genuinely mean something to your primary stakeholders (staff, customers, suppliers, investors). * Commit to working together over the long term – think ‘partner’ more than ‘a date’. * Visualise a successful and socially useful outcome and plan towards it. * Help drive a project rather than simply handing over money. * Don’t send out a press release until you have meaningful results to share. What matters is impact, not intention.
Well, I’m going now because I need to work out and I’m dedicating it to my late mother. Who will you be dedicating your next workout to?
Gymtopia – a place where clubs do social good
Ray Algar
Gymtopia was conceived by founder and chief engagement officer Ray Algar, who believes the global health and fitness industry has enormous influence and potential to do good in the world, beyond its immediate customers. The idea of Gymtopia is simple: to curate and spread remarkable stories in which the fitness industry uses its influence to reach out and support an external community in need. It was created with the generous support of five organisations: Companhia Athletica, Gantner Technologies, Les Mills, Retention Management and The Gym Group.
Read more stories and submit your own: www.Gymtopia.org
IN A NUTSHELL
Initiative by: The Movement – www.themovementfitness.com Location: New York, US Project status: Ongoing Impact: National Gymtopia keywords: Environment, Education, Health & Wellbeing, Medical Research
The couple have chosen a charity close to their hearts, as Jordan’s mother died of a brain tumour when he was aged 18
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Places Leisure has exchanged contracts to build and operate a flagship £60m water and leisure
destination on behalf of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.
The Republic of Ireland will become the latest market in PureGym’s expanding international
portfolio, with the first launch planned for Dublin in 2027.
Anytime Fitness opened more than one club a day in 2025 and is on track to maintain this rate
of growth this year, as parent company Purpose Brands targets further international expansion.
The £33.9 million Leighton Leisure and Community Centre has opened in Leighton Buzzard, UK,
creating a next-generation public leisure, health and wellbeing hub for the local community.
Walnuts Leisure Centre in Orpington, in the London Borough of Bromley, has reopened following
a £17m transformation designed to secure the long-term future of the public leisure asset and
reposition it as a community wellbeing hub.
The Gym Group, has announced that it's sustained positive trading momentum has continued
through the first half of 2026 and the company remains confident about the outlook.
Luxury boutique Pilates and wellness studio, X-Club, officially launches a
4,000sq ft flagship at
Marylebone on 16 July Built around X-Club’s four pillars of wellness – mind,
movement,
nutrition and therapy – the facility features two group exercise studi
Panatta brought together four of the most influential figures in bodybuilding history on the
stage of RiminiWellness 2026: Phil Heath, Lee Haney, Ronnie Coleman and Hany Rambod. [more...]
Active Blackpool is deploying Cornerstone Connect, a new digital interface allowing
disparate information from multiple systems to be aggregated into one dataset, to support
its focus on reducing health inequalities and improving healthy life expectancy. [more...]
