New at the Gym

Earlier this year, Causeway received a grant from the Ottawa Community Foundation to improve our Wellness Program. This program offers clients a free and comfortable environment to work on their fitness goals and learn about the importance of exercise and nutrition – all while looking for employment. Every day, we see the benefits of the program on our clients’ mental, physical, and emotional well-being. These improvements enhance clients’ chances of being hired and builds up their confidence so they can reach their full potential in all areas of their lives.

A major appeal for many of our clients using the Wellness Centre is the availability of accessible machines. To better serve the diverse needs of our clients and encourage more to use the Wellness Centre, we knew we had to expand – many of our machines were donations, others needed some repairs, and we desperately needed more staffing to cover increased gym hours. When we heard the announcement of the grant from The Ottawa Community Foundation, we knew this would solve many of our challenges. With this grant, we were able to buy a new accessible work out machine, provide our current equipment with some tender love and care, double the hours of our secondary trainer, and establish a monthly Wellness Workshop to youth.

New accessible work-out machine

The new pride and joy of the gym is the new accessible pull-up/dip machine that has instantly become one of the most used pieces of equipment in the gym. The machine makes it easier for someone to do a pull-up because it lets you start without using your full weight. For many of our clients, working out in a traditional gym was not possible because of the lack of accessible equipment. Having this new machine allows everyone, no matter their strength and abilities, to work towards their fitness goals at their own pace.

Take Danny, for example. Christopher says that Danny has only been using the machine for two months, but has already drastically improved his pull-up, both in strength and in technique.

“He is well on his way to doing an unassisted one!” Christopher proudly exclaims.

Take a look at our new machine in action: