“There are a number of terrific service organizations that assist our community,” acknowledges founder Brian Neal. “I established the Fitness & Health Foundation to fill a rare but critical void in the community to help people live a healthy lifestyle through exercise combined with nutritional and life coaching.”
After a successful career as owner of an Atlanta fitness facility, Neal moved to Fort Lauderdale six years ago and opened his own personal training gym.
“I realized my motivation for training people solely for profit was misplaced. Instead, I wanted to train people who did not access our programs for various reasons.” The Foundation was quickly conceived and after discussions with business and nutrition advisors, along with future members of the non-profit’s board of trustees, it was launched in April 2011.
“Broward County has one of the highest rates of new HIV cases in the country. Here was an opportunity to help people less fortunate and HIV positive,” Neal recalls. “Medications are expensive. With government cutbacks on funding, there is an extreme need to support those people within our community, by offering tangible services in the fitness, nutrition, and life coaching areas of life.”
Garry Smythe
Garry Smyth is COO of the Fifth Street Counseling Center and a Foundation board member. “The Foundation promotes a healthy lifestyle to people who otherwise may not have the opportunity or access to it,” says Smyth.
Initially, it was the Foundation’s intention to enroll 20 grant recipients for the Winter 2012 curriculum. That was before the organization received an avalanche of requests from applicants. Although Neal and the trustees were gratified by the overwhelming response of need from within the community, a crisis quickly developed in which the numbers of applicants—a literal embarrassment of riches—overwhelmed the available grant resources.
The decision was made that 41 grants—more than twice the original target—would be extended, with an additional 100 participants being enrolled in the online Health and Wellness Management Program and the Foundation’s Weekly Walk on Wilton (Drive) each Saturday at noon.
Reece Darham, managing director of Island City Health and Fitness, applauds the mission of the Foundation and the strides it is making to improve the health and well being of the community. “I can’t stress enough what an excellent opportunity this is to introduce people into a healthy lifestyle,” Darham emphasizes. “Brian and the Foundation are doing excellent work, and the whole community is the beneficiary.”
Team work: Life Coach Markus
Lutrzykowski (left) and Holistic Health
Coach Melissa Binkley (right) bring
years of experience and a willingness to
share their talents with a grateful, and
in-need, constituency.
The Foundation has likewise done extensive community outreach to raise awareness of its mission and to put a face on the important work in which the not-for-profit engages. In December 2011, Neal and supporters of the Foundation organized “Dancing with the South Florida Stars,” billed as a “night of music, merriment, and tripping-the light- fantastic” to support the organization’s fitness, nutrition, and life coaching programs. The event was held on Monday, December 12, at The Manor Nightclub and Restaurant complex in Wilton Manors.
Using a format familiar to fans of the hit television program “Dancing with the Stars,” ten partnered teams trained for over a month in the dance and aerobics studio at Wilton Manors’ Island City Health and Fitness to ensure they were at peak performance.
The teams, which were culled from a “Who’s Who” of Greater Fort Lauderdale’s “gay-lerati,” included entertainers as well as business and community leaders. The couples were, in numbered order: Jesse Durko and Andrea Lytle, John Zieba and Nicholette, Bobby Blair and Deja Devonair, Michael Driscoll and Cashetta, Bruce Bogan and Electra, Sean David and Dimitri, Reece Darham and Velvet Lenore, Billy Bowser and Misty Eyez, Dean Trantalis and Michelle Verdi-Knapp, and Vince Clancy and Liene Dilorenzo.
Afterwards, Trantalis, a former Fort Lauderdale city commissioner and the Foundation’s attorney, echoed the sentiments of other present. “The people! The energy! The fun! And of course the Brian Neal Foundation cause. The generosity of our community is overwhelming. And we all had a great time being a part of it.”
The next “Dancing with the South Florida Stars” fundraising event is scheduled for Monday, May 21 at 7 p.m., to coincide with the season finale of ABC’s hit television series “Dancing with the Stars.” Moving forward into 2012, founder Brian Neal has announced that Felix DeBruin, who helmed the not-for-profit Pet Project as that organization’s executive director for six years, has been brought aboard to serve as executive director for the Foundation effective this week.
“With Felix’s experience and in-depth understanding of the grant application process, we are extremely confident that more deserving persons will be able to benefit from the Foundation’s curriculum this year and for many years to come,” Neal offered. H For information about the Brian Neal Fitness & Health Foundation, and about making tax-deductible donations, visit: www.BrianNealFitness.org
Brian Neal Fitness & Health Foundation Services Available
• Saturday, 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. Group Workout
• Saturday, 10:15-11:15 a.m. Group Workout
• Island City Health & Fitness gym membership
• Online Health & Wellness Program
• Wednesday, 4:30 p.m. Biweekly Nutrition Class,
Pride Center at Equality Park
• Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. Biweekly Life Coaching Class,
Pride Center at Equality Park
• Saturday, 12:00-1:00 p.m. Weekly Walk on Wilton (Drive)
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Florida resident and fitness expert Brian Neal launches a not-for-profit foundation and inks a three year LGBT Spokesman deal with supplement giant, MusclePharm.
The Brian Neal Fitness and Health Foundation is targeting financially challenged people living with HIV/AIDS in Fort Lauderdale. The Foundation allows and encourages people to maintain a fit and healthy lifestyle whilst continuing to fight HIV/AIDS.
The Foundation provides gym memberships at Wilton Manor’s Island City Health and Fitness free of charge, hour long group workouts three times a week and lifestyle education classes.
These invaluable classes cover all aspects crucial to living a balanced lifestyle: Diet, exercise, well -being, positive life choices as well as mentoring and life coaching.
“I decided to create the Foundation as I felt there was a void in the community for helping people live a healthy lifestyle through exercise and nutritional coaching,” Neal said. Brian had a successful training gym in Atlanta and moved to Fort Lauderdale five years ago, where he began offering personal training sessions at the Better Bodies Gym. He then opened a personal training studio, however, like many he suffered as the market and economy changed. “I let myself go and one day decided I needed to get back into shape. In the process of doing that, I realized I felt better and had more energy.” He said, “I realized my motivation for training people solely for profit was misplaced; I wanted to train them to benefit their lives. Which is why I decided to launch a foundation.”
He continued, “I also felt it necessary to help people who are less fortunate and who are HIV +. Medications are so expensive; Broward County has one of the highest rates of new cases of HIV in the country. With government cutbacks on funding, there is an extreme need to support those people within our community.”
The Foundation gives people support by leading the way to living a healthy and fit lifestyle, provides them an opportunity to meet other people in similar positions and helps them build friendships.
Gary Smythe is a trustee of the Foundation and the COO of the Fifth Street Counselling Center says, “I think the Foundation is a wonderful idea – another way we can contribute to the community in a positive way and bring something that promotes a healthy lifestyle to people who otherwise may not have the opportunity or access to it.” His sentiments were echoed by Ed Cook who works to support the Foundation by participating in the In the Biz Fitness Challenge, which will donate all proceeds to the Foundation. He says of the program, “It’s a way of giving back to those that have helped me over the years, to help them live a happier and healthier life and to be honest. It is incredibly gratifying and rewarding to watch people change their lives.”
The Law Offices of Dean Trantalis are handling all legal matters for the Foundation, which will be a 501 (c)(3) corporation, as the organization is offering a service and is educationally orientated. The application is in process and, once approved, all the donations made to the Foundation will be tax deductible for donors. Donations can still be made and classes may still go ahead prior to approval.
Dean Trantalis says, “I think it is a wonderful opportunity for people who fall within the mission statement and who suffer the challenges of their disease. The Foundation is there to assist. It will be a wonderful component in the vitality of the community.”
As stated above, Brian, along with Ed Cook, Melissa Binkley and Ernesto Caballero, run the In the Biz Fitness Challenge at Island City Health &?Fitness on Wilton Drive. The challenge encourages local businesses to create teams and compete to win the ‘most fit’ in eight weeks. With group one-hour sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, this program has brought the community together in an extremely positive way. By promoting an In the Biz healthy lifestyle, the team has worked with many of the bartenders in the community, offering a healthy alternative to the dangerous lifestyle so often associated with those in the industry.
Russ Johansenn, a bartender at Atomic/Boom, says of the challenge, “I started back in January. I was part of the first session. I re-joined to do it in April because I lost 15 lbs. in 3 months. It’s a great program to aid people in keeping their lifestyle healthy and keeping them fit, allowing them to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.”
Reece Durham, owner of the gym, says “I?am proud to be part of such an amazing foundation that is giving back to the community in such a positive and much needed way.”
Melissa Binkley said, “I am excited because we have quite a few people who have returned; we have people that lost 15-20 pounds. It’s a great motivator.” Of the Foundation, she says, “I think it is a necessity and the best thing we can do for our community; fitness should not be just for people who can afford it. In fact, those with less money tend to need more information and help in the area of health and fitness.”
Brian Neal says of the challenge, “I am very proud of how the community has come together for this.”
Two weeks ago, Brian signed on for a three-year contract as the national LGBT spokesperson for MusclePharm, a healthy lifestyle company that develops and manufactures a full line of National Science Foundation approved nutritional supplements that are 100% free of banned substances, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
He will be doing personal appearances across the United States at LGBT and gay-friendly gyms to promote the supplements and to make sure the LGBT market becomes aware of their supplements and life changing products, particularly friendly to HIV/AIDS wellness.
MusclePharm products are created through an advanced six-stage research pro- tocol involving the expertise of top nutrition- al scientists and field tested by more than one hundred elite professional athletes. The Company’s products address all categories of an active lifestyle, including muscle building, weight loss and maintaining general fitness through a daily nutritional supplement regimen. MusclePharm is sold in over 120 countries and available in over 5,000 U.S. retail outlets, including GNC and Vitamin Shoppe.
MusclePharm products are also sold in over 100 online stores, including bodybuilding.com, Amazon.com and Vitacost.com. The company is publicly traded under the stock symbol MSLP.
“It really brings me great pleasure to be a part of the team with Patricia Ware, Former Director of US Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, James Sapirstein, Former HIV Global HIV Head and Former Pfizer Senior Director, Dr. Richard Ogden who are all on the Scientific Advisory Board of MusclePharm. I am extremely honored. I think MusclePharm is great, their products are of such a high standard, it is something I feel very comfortable recommending to the LGBT community to aid living a healthier lifestyle,” Neal said of the deal
The Brian Neal Fitness and Health Foundation will have its official launch party at the Naked Grape on Wilton Drive on May 16th at 6pm for Foundation supporters, trustees and current fitness participants.
For more information on the company, visit www.musclepharm.com
Photo: Ernesto Caballero, Melissa Binkley, Ed Cook and Brian Neal
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