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Fitness center growing
BY GINA HAMILTON •CONTRIBUTING WRITER
 | | Kathy Mayberry rides the recumbent bike at the Community Wellness Center in Millboro. (Photo courtesy Calvary Baptist Church) |
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MILLBORO - What started out last spring as a program to bring residents together for fun and fitness has evolved into a fullfledged exercise facility with 177 members ranging in age from 9 into their 70s.
While most are from the Millboro area, others come from Covington, Goshen, Hot Springs and Craigsville, both men and women in equal numbers. The center, located at Calvary Baptist Church, is beginning a fund drive to raise $20,000 more to add pieces of equipment and for the purchase of other items such as mirrors and dumbbells for the gym. A community yard and bake sale is being held on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the top of the straight spur, Route 39 and TC Walker Road. Those who want to participate can call Pastor John Green at 997-5026.
"After we have completed the gym, the bulk of the donations will be used for community awareness and programs," said Green. He said this will include health clinics, nutrition workshops, and networking with agencies such as the American Heart Association and Cancer Society.
The fitness center was first set up in the old fellowship hall and kitchen of the church. Green said it was through the efforts of local volunteers that the hall was gutted and remodeled. They included, among others: Doug Wells, Paul Craig, Tex Chapman, Bruce Wigglesworth, and Mike Tolsen. The initial start-up cost was $2,500 to make repairs and buy a treadmill. More than $5,000 has been raised since the center's opening last April 7.
Other equipment came from Liberty University in Lynchburg, which donated its gym equipment when the university revamped the fitness center. Green said this provided 21 pieces of commercial grade cardio and strength-training equipment for the local facility. As a student at the university, he happened to see the used equipment sitting in a hallway when he came to use the gym and initiated the donation to the Millboro center. Green has also been a personal trainer for seven years and can help center participants set up a fitness training program specifically for their needs.
The center continues to be supported by volunteers donating their time. According to Green, the facility is operated by members of local churches. Besides members of Calvary Baptist Church, they come from Windy Cove Presbyterian Church, Goshen Baptist Church, Horeb Baptist Church, and Living Stones Ministries. "Without these volunteers, the CFC would not be able to operate," Green said. "The center has a unique atmosphere of constant encouragement that comes not only from the volunteers that work there, but from the members themselves cheering each other on."
The success of the fitness center may also be due to the convenient hours it's open, Monday through Friday from 6-11 a.m., and 6-9 p.m., and Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. The center's use is free; the facility operates on donations. The church is located behind the Millboro Mercantile store at the intersection of Routes 42 and 39 on Crooked Spur road.
According to Green, ultimately the fitness center is in this community "to show the love of Jesus Christ through the service of members of local churches," he said. "The intent is to meet the needs of the community, and provide the community with an enjoyable place of recreation and health education."
Donations to the fitness center fund drive can be made to Pastor John Green at 429 Crooked Spur, Millboro, VA 24460.
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