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"For nearly 45 years, Special Olympics has been dedicated to empowering people with intellectual disabilities, while promoting wellness, community acceptance and respect"
CHANHASSEN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life Time Fitness, Inc, The Healthy Way of Life Company (NYSE:LTM), today announced that Special Olympics has joined the Commitment Day Movement as a Founding Charity Partner.
Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competition to provide people with intellectual disabilities opportunities to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendship. Today, Special Olympics serves more than four million athletes in 170 countries worldwide with year-round sports training, athletic competition and related programs.
Commitment Day is a 365-day movement designed to unite all Americans in making personal commitments to a healthier way of life. On January 1, 2013, hundreds of thousands of Americans will kick off the movement by participating in simultaneous 5K walk/run events spanning 30 cities, symbolizing their stance and personal responsibility to make America healthier.
All Commitment Day registrants are invited to support Special Olympics and the other Founding Charity Partners by making a donation to the charity or engaging in supplementary fundraising activities to benefit the charity.
Founding Charity Partners also will receive recognition and support in connection with the Commitment Day 365 movement during 2012 and 2013. For example, as part of the Commitment Day Movement’s Commitment to Give, consumers now can purchase the ‘A Very Special Christmas’ holiday music album at Life Time locations nationwide, an album that benefits Special Olympics.
“For nearly 45 years, Special Olympics has been dedicated to empowering people with intellectual disabilities, while promoting wellness, community acceptance and respect,” says Bahram Akradi, Chairman, President, CEO and Founder of Life Time. “With this unwavering commitment and support of healthy lifestyles for people with intellectual disabilities, I am honored to have them join the Commitment Day Movement. The health of America is one of the most crucial issues facing our country with controllable diseases out of control and cardiovascular disease at an all-time high. There is a solution and it starts with a commitment to healthy eating, exercise, family, giving, personal responsibility, and a healthy planet. Together with Special Olympics and our other distinguished partners, we can change America for the better.”
“Special Olympics is excited to join Life Time as a founding partner of Commitment Day. Our athletes join Life Time in their commitment to promote living a more healthy and active life every day,” says Peter Wheeler, Chief of Strategic Properties for Special Olympics.
With the launch of the Commitment Day Movement, all Americans are invited to share their personal pledges toward better health and wellness, and to become Commitment Day Founding Members at CommitmentDay.com. Commitment Day events will occur simultaneously (11:00 a.m. EST, 10:00 a.m. CST, 9:00 a.m. MST and 8:00 a.m. PST) on January 1, 2013, in 30 major U.S. cities, including:
| Atlanta | Indianapolis | Philadelphia | ||||
| Austin | Kansas City | Phoenix | ||||
| Chicago | Las Vegas | Raleigh Durham | ||||
| Cincinnati | Los Angeles | Salt Lake City | ||||
| Cleveland | Memphis | San Antonio | ||||
| Columbus | Miami | Seattle | ||||
| Dallas | Minneapolis | St. Louis | ||||
| Denver | New Orleans | Tulsa | ||||
| Detroit | New York City | Washington DC | ||||
| Houston | Omaha | |||||
For additional information about Commitment Day 2013, please visit CommitmentDay.com.
About Life Time Fitness, Inc.
As The Healthy Way of Life Company, Life Time Fitness (NYSE: LTM) helps organizations, communities and individuals achieve their total health objectives, athletic aspirations and fitness goals by engaging in their areas of interest – or discovering new passions – both inside and outside of Life Time’s distinctive and large sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa destinations, most of which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Company’s Healthy Way of Life approach enables customers to achieve this by providing the best programs, people and places of uncompromising quality and value. As of December 13, 2012, the Company operated 105 centers under the LIFE TIME FITNESS® and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC(SM) brands in the United States and Canada. Additional information about Life Time centers, programs and services is available atlifetimefitness.com.
About Special Olympics
Special Olympics is an international organization that changes lives through the power of sport by empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect worldwide. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the Special Olympics movement has grown from a few hundred athletes to 4 million athletes in 170 countries worldwide, providing year-round sports training, athletic competition and related programs. Special Olympics events take place daily, changing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities all over the world. Special Olympics provides people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, and experience joy and friendship.
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