SUPPORT THE GYMS ACT
The need for pandemic relief...
Did you know that fitness studios have been among the industries hardest hit by the pandemic? That's especially true here in New York City, where "indoor group fitness" (like yoga) was kept on the sidelines for more than a year. Yes, we got creative by live streaming classes and offering things like Self-Practice, but operating in one of the most expensive markets in the world has left us (and many other studios) with huge deficits. Thousands of studios across the country have already closed their doors for good, and without specific and direct relief many others are sure to close as well. We do not want to be part of that statistic!
What exactly is the GYMS Act?
On February 5, 2021, U.S. Reps. Mike Quigley (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) filed the Gym Mitigation and Survival (GYMS) Act (H.R. 890) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic specifically because most of the previous economic relief packages left the fitness industry out in the cold. If passed, the GYMS Act will create a $30 billion fund to provide grants to affected businesses in the health and fitness industry. Simply put, this would provide us with the support we need while we struggle to resume normal operations.
Is there reason for hope?
The other industry particularly hit hard by the pandemic was hospitality, and the Federal government recently passed the Restaurant Relief Fund (RRF) as a way of providing direct support to struggling restaurant owners. The GYMS Act is modeled very closely to that piece of legislation and so there are high hopes that Congress will step up and save our studios!
What Can You Do?
Click the link below to learn more about the GYMS Act, and follow the prompts to contact your representatives. It takes just a couple of minutes to reach out, but we need you to tell them how important this is to you and your community!
Or... Join the Twitter Storm
The fitness world is joining forces for a one day blitz on Thursday, May 20th.
Use the hashtag #GYMSAct and make sure you call out your representatives publicly. Take to Twitter and let them know the fitness industry needs relief in order to survive! There may be a light at the end of the tunnel, but we're not there yet!