CHICAGO, March 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Orangetheory® Fitness, the scientifically backed and fast-growing fitness franchise, announced today its Chicago area studios have raised more than a quarter of a million dollars in just three weeks for Augie’s Quest, a foundation dedicated to finding a cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) disease. The brand-wide national fundraiser, deemed the #IBurnForALS campaign, took place from Feb. 15 to March 8, raising a total of over $4 million. During this three-week period, studios from around the country encouraged its members to donate money to support Orangetheory’s quest for a cure. All money raised will be donated to Augie’s Quest to help move a cure-driven drug, AT-1501, further down the drug development pipeline.

Orangetheory of Illinois is among the more than 800 studios across the United States and Canada to raise funds in the fight against ALS. The Orangetheory Fitness studios throughout the greater Chicago area rank as one of the most charitable Co-Ops in the franchise system, partnering with various local and national foundations to inspire and provide proven fitness results for a healthier city and country. Putting their passion for fitness and charitable giving to the test, this year the Chicago area studios came in among the top regions to raise funds for the #IBurnForALS campaign, with two of those studios – Geneva and Evanston – ranking in among the top 20 throughout the entire franchise system.

The Geneva studio, led by Lisa and Thomas O’Brien were recognized for raising the most funds throughout the Chicago area, coming in as the fifth most charitable studio across the United States and Canada, having raised nearly $30,000 for Augie’s Quest in three weeks alone.  Furthermore, the Evanston studio, led by David Lanz and Adam Paris, came in at number 17 among the entire system, raising an impressive $16,473.  In order to motivate and encourage their studio’s participation, Orangetheory Chicago rolled out a number of innovative programs to inspire their members to burn for the cause. The Geneva studio introduced a ‘Row-A-Thon’ competition in which members were able to sign up and donate money for a chance to participate in a 12-hour challenge. Other creative fundraising initiatives across the Co-Op included happy hour challenges, bar crawls and partnerships with local businesses.

“Orangetheory Fitness of Chicago takes fundraising seriously, as demonstrated by the over $250,000 raised in three weeks. No matter what organization we’re supporting, whether it be a community or a national initiative, you can find each and every one of our owners, coaches and members giving it an ‘All Out’ effort,” said David Lanz, president of the Orangetheory Fitness Chicago Co-Op. “Coming off of last year’s stellar fundraising achievements, we were enthusiastic to hit the ground running this year to ensure that not only we exceeded our regional goal, but that we assisted the Orangetheory system as a whole, to surpass last year’s total of $2 million toward a cure for ALS.”

Orangetheory Fitness launched its first studio in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. in March 2010, and has transformed into one of the world’s top fitness franchises, with more than 880 studios in 48 states and 17 countries. The 60-minute, five zone heart-rate monitored interval training concept has helped tens of thousands of members lose weight, get toned and meet their overall fitness goals in a short amount of time. The fitness franchise is on track to have over 1,130 open studios in 2018.

To learn more about Augie’s Quest, please visit AugiesQuest.org. More information about Orangetheory Fitness of Illinois can be found here. Members and non-members alike can make donations at AugiesQuest.ALS.net/OTF. Follow Orangetheory Fitness on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest news and trends.

About Orangetheory Fitness:
Orangetheory® Fitness (www.orangetheoryfitness.com) is a scientifically designed, one-of-a-kind, group personal training workout broken into intervals of cardiovascular and strength training. Backed by the science of excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), Orangetheory’s heart-rate-monitored workouts are designed to get participants within the target-training zone of 84 percent to 91 percent of their heart rate, which stimulates metabolism and increases energy. Led by highly skilled coaches, each Orangetheory Fitness workout incorporates endurance, strength and power elements through a variety of equipment including treadmills, rowing machines, TRX® suspension training and free weights. The end result is more energy, visible toning and the ‘Orange Effect’ – where participants keep burning calories for up to 36 hours post-workout (the Orangetheory Fitness ‘afterburn’) for an average of 500+ total calories burned per every 60-minute workout. The company was ranked #1 on Franchise Times‘ 2018 Fast & Serious list, #60 in Inc. magazine’s Fastest Growing Private Companies list, #11 on Entrepreneur magazine’s Fastest Growing Franchises list and #48 in Entrepreneur’s 2018 Franchise 500® list of the top franchises in the world. Visit www.otffranchise.com for area developer and franchise opportunities.

Contact:
Courtney Whelan
Fish Consulting
954-893-9150
[email protected] 

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SOURCE Orangetheory Fitness