Healthworks Fitness Centers have been providing women with fitness opportunities in a women-only environment for more than seven years. Their dedication to women doesn’t stop at providing a valuable service to the community, but includes giving back to the community as well. Read more about the Healthworks Foundation and its GoGirlGo! Week Open House kickoff event this September.
Many of you may know Healthworks Fitness Centers as premier all-women gyms in Massachusetts, but their intense commitment to bettering the lives of Boston women should be equally celebrated. For more than seven years they have been providing women with fitness opportunities in a women-only environment. Their dedication to women doesn’t stop at providing this valuable service, however, but includes giving back to the community as well. One example of this is their offer of free gym services to the Big Sisters Organization of Greater Boston, a GoGirlGo! Boston grant award winner. These take the form of classes, personal training and gym time for “Bigs and Littles” all over Boston.
Hannah Karass, who was the senior vice president of Healthworks Fitness Centers from 1985-2005, has seen the power of fitness to change women’s lives and dedicated herself to making sure this is available to all women. In 1998 the Healthworks team created the Healthworks Foundation, a nonprofit segment of the company dedicated to women helping other women. When asked what motivated her to create the nonprofit fitness foundation, Karass stated, “I know that exercise offers hope and health to everyone. We wanted to make sure this powerful tool is available to those who need it most.” But Karass doesn’t stop there—she has a vision. “Imagine how many lives we could change if more fitness organizations or companies created foundations and made fitness accessible to those who can’t afford regular membership fees. We have created a model, a template, and would love to share it with other companies who have a similar interest in reaching out to the community.”
So far, the Healthworks Foundation has funded two female-only gyms in Dorchester that provide free membership to low-income women. In order to create these opportunities, Healthworks relies upon grants and outside donations, but also automatically donates a percentage of its fitness center membership dues to the foundation. This allows every member to support the Healthworks Foundation. The St. Mary’s fitness center has served more then 4,000 women since 2002, and an amazing new 9,000-square-foot fitness club in partnership with Codman Square Health Center will open this fall. Seeking to specifically address obesity and related issues of Dorchester’s women and youth, this location is within walking distance for thousands of women and several key elementary schools in the Dorchester area. With the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, Codman Health Center formed an innovative partnership called DotWell, which increases the ability of both organizations to provide integrated health services that better serve their communities. The goals of this new fitness club are to prevent the health problems associated with obesity and lack of exercise and nutrition.
The Codman Square Healthworks is the home of two sport walls, ExerDance, an expansive weight floor, one large group fitness studio and an upcoming kitchen for cooking classes. GoGirlGo! Boston is proud to announce that Healthworks will be hosting an Open House Event on Thursday, September 25. Space is available for girls and leaders who want to visit the facility, experience a class, and learn more the new site. Contact India Fontes at
IFontes@WomensSportsFoundation.org to register (space is limited). Check out our
Events Calendar for exact dates and directions to this and other free GoGirlGo! Week events.