Lancaster, Pa. — ECORE International recently announced its donation of Everlast sports surfacing to the Bethany, Oklahoma Anytime Fitness club. ECORE supplied almost 2,000 square feet of Everlast in Peanut Crunch to the newly opened facility. This donation comes in conjunction with the generosity exhibited by Anytime Fitness club co-founders Chuck Runyon, CEO, and Dave Mortensen, President, on ABC’s Secret Millionaire.
“Supporting Anytime Fitness and their exceptional work in Oklahoma City was a pleasure,” said Arthur Dodge III, ECORE International Chairman and CEO. “The dedication and passion displayed by those in the community, as well as by Anytime Fitness, shines a spotlight on what it takes to make an impact. We’re excited to see how the latest addition to the franchise evolves.”
The story of the donation begins with the journey taken by Runyon and Mortensen. The duo, who have known each other for over 20 years, appeared on the June 10, 2012 episode of Secret Millionaire, a show where millionaires live “undercover” within communities-in-need. They seek out deserving organizations through volunteer opportunities and reveal themselves at the episode’s conclusion. Ultimately they make donations to worthy organizations in an effort to improve lives and communities, in this case particularly for the countless children in Oklahoma City facing economic and other challenges.
“The young children we met in Oklahoma City are dealing with unbelievable hardships,” said Chuck Runyon, Anytime Fitness co-founder and CEO. “Many of them are essentially homeless. Others have educational and nutritional needs that aren’t being met. The generosity of companies like ECORE will go a long way towards giving these children a better chance to enjoy happy, healthy and productive lives.”
The connection that Runyon and Mortensen made with co-founders of the Oklahoma City Youth Wrestling Foundation was a natural fit given the organization’s mission: “To build relationships between at-risk youth and caring role models in the Oklahoma City are through the sport of wrestling.” The pair donated an entire Anytime Fitness club to benefit the Foundation. Twenty percent of the proceeds of the club will go directly to the Foundation, which assists hundreds of children in Oklahoma City each year.
“The week we spent with the kids in Oklahoma City changed our lives forever,” said Dave Mortensen, Anytime Fitness co-founder and President. “As anyone who watched the show could tell, it’s tough not to get emotional when you see the challenges that these kids face every day. At the same time, it’s incredibly heartwarming to know that there are organizations out there, like Oklahoma City Youth Wrestling, that are so dedicated to making a real difference in young people’s lives.”
The new Anytime Fitness club benefiting the Foundation is located at 7140 NW 23rd Street in Bethany, OK. For more information about how the club and the Foundation are assisting children, or about how you can get involved, contact Tyler Williams at tylerjoewilliams@live.com.