Member Spotlight – FYR Mac-Town
Those gathered for the September 5th Chamber Connection at Forging Youth Resilience (FYR) Mac-Town in the Mac-Town Fitness Company building at 715 W. Woodside didn’t have to listen for long to program director Meaghan Reamy to feel her passion for the nonprofit organization and the youth it serves.
FYR (pronounced fire) Mac-Town’s mission is to “empower young people to build physical and mental strength for life by providing access to a network of community-based fitness programs, nutrition education and mentorship.”
FYR Mac-Town serves 50-80 kids during the school year, and that number can increase during the summer months. They currently have 2 class times divided by age groups: kids class ages 6-11 is from 4:15 to 5:00pm, and teens class for ages 12-18 is from 6:30 to 7:30pm. Teens can also attend open gym on Saturdays. The classes are completely FREE.
During the classes, they do CrossFit style workouts while also working on different gross motor skills, fine motor skills for the younger kids, special awareness, and body awareness.
“We’re building these kids for life, not just for a sport,” said Meaghan. “We’re building them to have healthy lifestyles for the rest of their lives.”
The focus of class isn’t purely physical. They also work a lot on building integrity and teamwork, and mentorship is an important aspect of the program.
“All of our volunteers and coaches are mentors to any kid that is needing that safe adult to talk with,” Meaghan said.
On Saturday, September 21st, FYR Mac-Town will host their first Row-A-Thon fundraiser. The morning session will be for those wanting to row a half-marathon solo or with a partner, the afternoon session will be for teams of 3-6 people who will be rowing a full marathon. Registration fees are: solo/partner $50, teams $150. It will be a fun event with friendly competition, a silent auction, and drinks and sno cones from the Whiskey Wagon. Interested in registering? Email Meaghan and row for a great cause!
Learn more about FYR Mac-Town by following them on Facebook and on Mac-Town Fitness Company’s website. And be sure to check out the photos from the September 5th Chamber Connection.