We first looked at the idea of donating your used strength-training equipment more than a year ago, and a lot of people shared stories of how they did just that. Thank you all, sincerely.


This time we’re taking a look at a few of the other ways of helping out various health & fitness charities; through one-time events, book/DVD/t-shirt purchases and direct financial donations. Let’s get started.

Donating Equipment

Last time we looked at several ways of donating your old equipment, books & clothing; ranging from Shoe 4 Africa to the Salvation Army. This time I’d like to add another category, electronic gadgets.

If you’re the type of person (and I’m definitely in this group) that loves to listen to some hard-hitting music during a workout, this may be one for you. In my case – and I suspect I’m not alone in this – the tunes come via an iPod which I wear throughout the session. It’s a great way to help block out the world around you, and focus on the task at hand.

What happens when you get a new mp3 player, or similar device? Do you slowly build up a collection of things that are just sitting in a drawer?
If that’s the case, swing by Gazelle. They’ll buy these older devices from you, taking away a lot of the ‘will I, won’t I‘ debate each time a new iPod comes out. Great company.

One-Time Events

There are many, many fitness-related fundraising events on the calendar each year. These offer a unique way to donate money, as typically you sponsor one of the athletes or teams involved. Examples include the MS Mud Run, the OXFAM Trailwalker and the Alzheimer’s Society Himalayan Trek.

For details of all of these, and many more fitness-related events, head over to the calendar.

Product Purchases

This falls into the category ‘help them while you help yourself‘, and is a superb way to help out a charity or three. Typically the products are books, DVDs or CDs; such as liftStrong.
Good stuff.

Financial Donations

Of course, you may prefer to give money directly to a chosen charity or two. If you’re looking to help support a particular cause, this is often the simplest way to go.

There are many, many fitness-related charities available; but a couple of my own favourites are :

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS)
Donations
Events
Kiva (particularly the health- & fitness-related businesses)
Donations

Other Ways to Help

Rosetta@home : if your finances aren’t exactly the way you’d like them, you’ll be pleased to know that there are several free ways to support various health & fitness charities. Of these, my favourite is the Rosetta@home project; which makes use of your computer’s power (whenever you’re not using it, that is) to help with various types of medical research. These assist everything from cancer treatments to Alzheimer’s.

Fantastic (and free) way to help out.

Final Thoughts on Giving it Away

Once again, thanks everyone; I really look forward to hearing your stories. The primary goal of this site has always been to help as many people as possible enjoy the benefits of health & fitness, and it’s fantastic to hear and see that in progress everywhere.
Thank-you.