RHFC fills a needed gap in the community. Fitness is foremost with founders Ryan Schmid, Elisabeth Kingsley, and Tausili Kalepo and gym staffers Miyuki Bigelow and Kristin Lapp. These trainers/entrepreneurs/gurus learned that the most diverse area in the city is in many ways the least healthy and decided to take action.
According to the University of Washington Center for Obesity Research, the Rainier Valley has an obesity prevalence of more than 25 percent. Obesity affects a person's quality of life and may stymie a person's lack of motivation, both mentally and physically. That the problem may work its way through families is not uncommon.
For example, an obese person often has poor nutrition and poor exercise habits, which are imitated by children. These obese parents are more likely to become sick and miss work. Their children may then miss school.
Missed work may limit their ability to pay bills, and missed school days can begin a plethora of harms that can be difficult to overcome. Combine obesity with the diabetes rate in South Seattle and the South End's health problems worsen.
In Public Health Seattle-King County's "Diabetes in King County" report, South Seattle residents are at least four times more likely to die of diabetes than residents of Mercer Island.
The reasons are legion. Poverty may not rule, but it certainly influences. First, the median income is low, $44,259 per household for a family of four in 2006. A large percentage of Rainier Valley residents are people of color, and many are immigrants.
Although doctors and other health officials often prescribe an exercise program considered the perfect route to good health if the patient follows directions, cost may prohibit an individual from following their doctor's orders.
Some in this population lack funds or time to care for themselves, and their little, or no, health care exacerbates the problem. Too often an individual is treated later rather than sooner.
Those who choose to exercise outside may be burdened with issues of personal safety, thereby increasing stress. Inadequate lighting in their neighborhood may be a problem. Crime, or the fear of crime, prevents some from outdoor exercise. Neighborhoods may have no sidewalks, or cracked and uneven sidewalks, which are prone to causing accidents.
But a person who is serious about their health can come to RHFC where 35 percent of the members are on scholarships and pay no monthly membership, or a fraction of it. Also, free childcare is often provided and all of the equipment is new.
But exercise itself is not sufficient, and RHFC provides nutritional resources. Members learn from Apple Core, an organization that teaches classes on healthy living, that all fast foods are not junk foods.
It's important to note that RHFC is not a stand alone non-profit organization. Credit must also be given to Urban Impact, whose mission is to strengthen families and raise strong leaders.
"[Urban Impact] works to help people in our neighborhood understand and combat the far-reaching consequences of obesity. Empowering people to make healthy decisions helps to end obesity and fight disease," Kalepo noted. "In doing so, we are strengthening families and educational and economic opportunities. UI contributes to the relational vibrancy of the Rainier Beach neighborhood by offering a high quality, education-based health and fitness center where people of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds can develop new relationships through the common pursuit of health."
Proof of the realization of this pursuit on the RHFC and Urban Impact goals is the May 30-31 24-hour "Move-A-Thon" to raise money for gym scholarships for low-income area residents. RHFC members pay $10-$100 and nonmembers pay $25-$150 to participate in the event, beginning at 9:30 p.m. All participants will receive free t-shirts, food and other giveaways. For more information, call Miyuki Bigelow at 206-725-0279 or register at http://firstgiving.com/urbanimpact.
Georgia McDade may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.[[In-content Ad]]