Physical fitness can reduce the risk of developing chronic health conditions, improve mental health and enhance a person’s overall quality of life—but not everyone has the same level of access.
For many people with disabilities, standard gyms and fitness programs may not have the equipment or the training necessary to meet their needs. The Spirit Club Foundation works to change that by providing grants and scholarships that bridge the gap between people with disabilities and physical fitness.
The Spirit Club Foundation is a Maryland-based nonprofit that began as a program of a for-profit gym called Spirit Club in Kensington, Maryland. It was an adaptive gym, but within its first few years of operation, the organization found a need in the community it served, according to the club’s executive director, Kim Schofield.
“They quickly found out that there was a need for financial support because people with disabilities often don’t have access to disposable income,” Schofield says. “[People with disabilities] are often on a very restrictive budget and often live below the poverty line.”
Schofield says that because of this shortfall, fitness can end up falling by the wayside despite being a necessity. Another barrier between people with disabilities and an active lifestyle can be the lack of accessible facilities and equipment, according to Schofield.
In 2015, the Spirit Club Foundation was founded to raise money for people with disabilities to have scholarships to work out at a facility of their choice. It provides scholarships to any individual in Maryland with a disability who is seeking support.
Since then, the nonprofit’s services have grown to include grants for organizations to increase access for people with disabilities and two annual fitness festivals.
The Spirit Club Foundation’s most recent fitness festival took place in Montgomery County back in October. There, families took part in free fitness classes, activities and an award ceremony honoring people with disabilities embracing fitness.
One of the awardees was DJ Kanneh, the youngest Spirit Club Foundation scholarship recipient. DJ is an 8-year-old boy on the autism spectrum who is nonverbal. He lives in Howard County with his mother, his aunt and his sister.
“We were so excited; we weren’t expecting that,” says Joy Harris, DJ’s aunt.
The scholarship her nephew was awarded through the foundation helped him access swimming lessons—an important safety measure, according to Harris.
Because of the scholarship, DJ was able to attend swimming classes more frequently with the one-on-one attention he needed. “It helped a lot,” Harris says.
DJ’s success and dedication inspired his family, and his mother and aunt are now learning to swim as well.
According to Schofield, anyone with a disability—physical or cognitive—can be eligible for the Spirit Club Foundation’s scholarships.
The Spirit Club Foundation also partners with organizations and provides grants to make fitness more accessible for people with disabilities. One of these organizations is the Athelas Institute.
The Athelas Institute is a service provider for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Last April, the Athelas Institute hosted the Spirit Club Foundation’s first annual Howard County fitness festival at its Columbia location.
The Spirit Club Foundation has supported the Athelas Institute and organizations like it through grants. One such grant enabled the Athelas Institute to procure adaptive equipment, according to Chantelle Taylor, the institute’s CEO.
“Sometimes, the people that we support in our program have difficulty accessing fitness programs that meet their needs in traditional settings such as the neighborhood gym,” Taylor explains. “They really need personalized programs in a supportive environment, in a place where people can support their emotional and behavioral needs at the same time that they are working out.”
“Having the adaptive equipment affords us the opportunity to really personalize their fitness journey,” Taylor says.
Currently, the Spirit Club Foundation is limited in the amount of scholarships and grants it can provide because the needs of the population it serves outweighs the funding available. The fitness festival held Oct. 13 raised an estimated $45,000, according to Schofield.
*Disclosure: Kim Schofield, the executive director of the Spirit Club Foundation, was employed as a sales executive with Mid-Atlantic Media from June 2018 through September 2022.
