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When the Princeton Club launched its #ForABetterTomorrow campaign well before the pandemic struck, staff and members had no idea how meaningful it would become during and after the COVID-19 outbreak.
The campaign aims to help Princeton Club members become more fit and healthy to improve their life while also benefiting the community through the club’s charitable donations. The pandemic’s devastating effects quickly emphasized the urgent relevance of #ForABetterTomorrow.
The Princeton Club’s nine locations were closed for about 2 1/2 months early in the pandemic, the full time staff were kept on the payroll, working and planning for the day when the clubs could again open their doors.
During the shutdown, personal trainers and group instructors conducted virtual fitness classes as members tried to stay healthy and battle weight gain in their new, homebound lives.
“Our staff pulled together and showed a deep commitment,” Club President Andy Haugen says. “Their effort made the reopening such a success for our members. I saw a belief in what we do and the difference we make. It took everyone and they’ve done such a great job.”
And Princeton Club staff members proved the resilience and dedication that laid the foundation #ForABetterTomorrow.
The Princeton Club met with national industry groups and local health officials to develop a playbook for reopening that assembled best practices. That playbook was distributed to all members and put into practice at all of its health clubs.
“We reorganized all of our clubs,” says Haugen, “We pulled everything out, provided the proper spacing for equipment, installed ionization systems for our HVAC systems and provided new air filtration. Cleaning systems were revamped with new electrostatic sprayers and other cleaning technology. All in addition to providing individual spray bottles of disinfectant for each member.”
Haugen adds: “We worked very hard to make it as comfortable as possible for members to come back, and they have been.”
Members eager to return to their fitness routines were very encouraged and grateful for the efforts the club was taking. Even offering classes and exercise on the rooftop space with soccer fields and court space.
“The smiles on our members' faces after they had their first great workout in a long time and hearing how much better they feel is just so encouraging and makes it all worth it,” says Haugen, whose clubs have strictly adhered to local health regulations throughout the pandemic.
Leah, a Princeton Club member, says the effort and thoughtfulness of the Princeton Club was on full display when she returned.
“It’s great to be back at the Princeton Club, I missed the instructors and my friends,” she says. “I can already tell I’m in better shape and have so much more energy. I can’t say enough about the Princeton Club and I must say, as a nurse, it’s a clean environment.”
Throughout the crisis, the Princeton Club did not lose sight of the community through #ForABetterTomorrow. They were excited to start 2021 by donating a pound of food to local food banks every time a member checked in at the front desk.
In the years prior to the pandemic, the clubs had donated about six million pounds of food through its Million Pound Challenge which was based on members’ weight loss.
Since January, the club donated more than 100,000 pounds of food for those in need – a pound of food whenever a member checked in. “When each member heard that beep from the membership-card scanner they knew that they were improving their health through exercise and donating to someone in need,” Haugen says.
The pandemic has again reinforced the value of health in every aspect of life, plus the importance of community both of which the Princeton Club has been focused on providing for the Madison area for decades.
Become part of the Princeton Club and their #ForABetterTomorrow efforts by joining the club. To receive a free trial pass and see all that the Princeton Club has to offer, visit PrincetonClub.net.
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