|
Rate this video*
Inspiring (357)
Useful (225)
Funny (202)
|
Comments for this video
mrpp Makes you teary and puts a big smile on your face. We are behind you all the way. Little baby steps and all your goals will come true. One buddy at a time. You can do it. You have the drive. God Bless your fit buddies.
Yay, Jen! This is GREAT and VERY INSPIRING!!! I am so glad you are doing this for these kids - what a terrific and needed program. Thanks for all your efforts!
-Carla
What an inspiration!
This is a wonderful program and very different than the small number of other sports outlets available to people with special needs. FIT Buddies is part of a mainstream fitness facility. The kids do (with appropriate modification) what their "typical athlete" counterparts do. The program meets 3x week and runs all year long. The net result is all the FIT athletes benefit! Kudos to Jen and to FIT owners Thom and Tracey Downing for "blazing new trails" and making fitness available to all!
Great work Jen! best of luck in growing this fantastic program. I love that you're having your athletes erg!!! Next we'll have ot get them out in a boat. You're an inspiration, thanks for sharing this video.
You just can't help but smile when you're working out and around the rockstar, homeboy, sports wiz, and best "high-fiver". FITBuddies is a truly remarkable program that converts the gym into a fun, loving, and inspiring place for all to be apart of.
You are doing great things!!!
You rock Jen!!
Fantastic work Jen and Fit Buddies!! I am proud of your accomplishment - rock on!!
Nicely done!
Thank you for what you are doing for these great kids! You guys are the best!
Jen, what a terrific program that my daughter, Julie, loves to participate in when we visit Mountain View from Grass Valley in the foothills. Keep up the good work and I will hope and pray that your success expands to our area of the state.
What a blessing for the kids, their families and the other members of the club!! Everyone wins!
Great program. The changes in these individuals is amazing.
The Fit Buddies program is inspiring and should be expanded.
We need more programs like this. Awesome job Jen!
What a fantastic video! Such a great group of people! I love when she's counting her reps, lost in her workout and gets a cue she's done enough - "yeah! I'm tough!" she conveys. And then asked why he likes to workout, he shares he feels strong, and feels special - that says it all! Don't we ALL want that? Great job! Great program!
Jen and FITBuddies are an amazing inspiration for us all!
I am so proud of what you have done with this Jen and everyone at FIT!
BRAVO! Congratulations Jen. You are making everybody proud!
This is an incredible program for amazing kids. Congratulations, Jen, for your commitment and compassion for these kids.
Great idea and an inspiraton to us all.
Jen - good stuff! Your program is an asset to the community
What an amazing idea!?
Well Done!!!!!!
This program is amazing and so are the people who make it happen!
Awesome!!!!! Great work Jen and FIT Buddies!!! So cool. Loved the video!
You rock!
You are a special person with a wonderful gift! No matter how this contest turns out I know that you will continue this wonderful and needed program. I am proud to know you!
Jen - you've clearly put lots of time and effort into making this an amazing program for everyone involved. FITBuddies is healthy, inventive, touching, and all-around makes the World a better place. You should feel great that you are making an amazing difference in these childrens' lives!
Jennifer you are amazing! love you!
If that doesn't put a smile on your face and a warm feeling in your heart I dont know what would!!!
Jen, you and your FITBuddies are so inspiring. It's so uplifting to be in the gym when the kids are working out - makes me work out just a little harder myself!
Keep up the wonderful work.
what an awesome program!
Nice work Jen! :)
Everybuddy needs a hero and it is clear that Jen is one of the best! I hope she takes this program all the way and continues to touch so many deserving people!
Awesome! I love Jen!
Jen, you have certainly made a difference in the lives of our kids. Thanks for your enthusiasm and dedication!
This seems like such a great program! As a parent of a child with special needs I know how hard it can be to get my child to exercise or participate in physical activity. It lookes like the young adults featured in the video had such confidence and had such high self esteem! Thanks for such a great program! Good luck with this program and keep up the great work!
Jen, you have inspired these kids emotionally, mentally, and physically. We all thank you for that!
Jen, Kristen, Xenia, Jeremy & Spencer - you guys all rock! I'm so glad I get to see all of you on Mondays and Wednesdays! This is the most inspiring of all 50 stories! The most useful because everyone can learn something from this! The funniest because we should all look in the mirror at the end of our workouts and shriek "damn i look good"...even if you havent quite reached your goal! :)
Fantastic! We should all be so lucky to have so much meaning and joy in what we do each day. Great job, Jen, and good luck!
I am so proud to know someone who is making a difference in the world. Keep up the good work and give all the kids a high five for me.
Very moving. So many more could benefit from this program. Wonderful job.
You rock!
Incredible program! You are doing GREAT things, keep it up!
This looks great! Wonderful how this program makes a difference for these young people! Keep making this happen!
Extremely inspiring
Jen is wonderful with the FITBuddies and all of us.
Could use a wireless mic on some of the speaker, since the building noise is distracting. I could also recommend some graphics naming the individuals. Aside from that, excellent production quality and storytelling.
Good use of fitting in the max 4 minutes, too.
Aww, now you made me cry. "Inspiring" doesn't even begin to cover it! The joy and pride in those kids - wow!!!
I love the FitBuddies! Jen, you are an inspiration and great role model for anyone, me included. I'm honored to know you.
awesome!!!
great video. good luck
Really great! Can't think of anything better!!!!!!!
Jen we love you program keep up the good work! Love, your second DAD!
This is a really great program.
This program is incredible, Jen. Good job. You are providing a service that is irreplaceable and much needed.
It's so refreshing to see kids like this working out in a gym and lovin it. Thanks Jen and keep it going. -Fern
Just seeing the smile on the young lady's face after lifting the weight bar is enough reason for a dozen replays!
How can we integrate special needs adults into our community? This video shows it is easy. Just do it!
This one should WIN!!!!
Great stories. We need more people like Jen in this world!
This one is a winner! Great concept! We need more programs that are as useful as this one!
This amazing and unique program deserves a chance to change lives. Great work on a truly inspiring idea.
This should win first place! Nothing else even close!!
What a terrific program! As a trainer, sometimes you wonder why some clients come in at all, because you have to push them every step of the way, and it zaps your energy. With FIT Buddies, I imagine Jen gets so much energy back from this hard working group! What a joy to watch! :)
Amazing work Jen!! This video is heart-warming and the program is just awesome. You are bettering people's lives, which is truly inspirational. I am so proud of you!!
This was so inspiring. When given the opportunity, these individuals have stretched to expand what they do. It has given them confidence. Isn't that what anyone would want? Thanks Jen for your caring for others. God bless you and those you help.
This was so inspiring. When given the opportunity, these individuals have stretched to expand what they do. It has given them confidence. Isn't that what anyone would want? Thanks Jen for your caring for others. God bless you and those you help.
This video makes you smile, cry, it's just so heart lifting. Great job - Jen keep it up.
I enjoyed this video it was inspiring to me and uplifting. I need a FIT Buddy to keep me inspired to work out. When I go to work out I will thing about the FIT Buddies from now on to help me push a little harder to get to my goal.
We are so proud of you Jen!! You are doing great things.
Jen,
I am so impressed with your program!! Your mom and dad are my friends and they sent me this to view. We need more people like you in this world for these kids. Definitely you need to take it nationwide!
Karen Schmelter
Cute story!
Jen this is fabulous! what a great video! so inspiring!
We the Mier family are very happy that you guys open the door to the angels that God send down to earth, so that you guys can help them get stronger in the the areas that they are weak. This will also make them feel better even mentally so they can excel. They have alot of God's love,that is why there is always a smile on there faces which puts a smile on yours also when you are training them. May God bless you all with this project that he has put in your heart and that you never give up .
Jen- What a wonderful inspiration you are to not only your FIT Buddies, but to other people, too. Thank you for inspiring me to be my best self for others, too! Best wishes!
I've got the greatest personal trainer in the world!!
I love the work you are doing with these loving Buddies. You have such a nice connection. Hearing their feedback is neat too!
Absolutely amazing !
What an unique program! This is a great need in the dd community. You have reached out to so many people, and I hope you can expand further!
Great concept! Good luck!
This is a great idea!
This is amazing! I am so proud and excited to be working with the FIT Buddies Team as they prepare to participate in the Audi Best Buddies Challenge. I know that you are all such an inspiration to everyone in the Best Buddies programs and we cannot wait to see you in September! Thank you for sharing this awesome video!!
God Bless you...this rocks!
What you do is fabulous and inspiring, Jen! Thanks to you and FIT for making this program happen! Good luck and God Bless you and the Buddies!!
WOW! Thanks
You are awesome Jen. My brother has Down Syndrome and working out, doing the Special Olympics, and being around friends makes his day. What you are doing is amazing and I hope you will be able to continue to build this wonderful program. Good luck to you!
How wonderful that you are taking the time to enrich the lives of others- even those of us viewing your video. I pray that you receive all the help you need to keep expanding your good works!
Kudos to you for truly being your brother's keeper :) May you reach your goals with this program and continue to be an inspiration to all the lives you touch.
I spent one afternoon with the FIT Buddies and i was inspired by Jan's dedication in helping kids who need the most love and attention. If every community would create an environment like this for the local Kids in their neighborhood, our world would be a better place to live in.
This sounds like a wonderful program! The trainers are really inspiring - you can feel their enthusiasm and love for the buddies they work with.
Jen, I am so incredibly pround of you. What your doing will stay with these kids forever. Good job! Krista
Jen, I am so incredibly pround of you. What your doing will stay with these kids forever. Good job! Krista
Loved it. I have a son with Down syndrome and I hope there will be a program like that for him in the near future. Exercise is so important for so many reasons. Looks like a great program!!!!
It is obvious that you have chosen a vocation, not just another job. You are truly inspirational and we are happy to know there are people like you out there to help people like our son John-John.
Jen, we are behind you and FITbuddies 100% of the way!! So proud of you for following your dream and changing people's lives.
You are an amazing person and I hope you get the grand prize!
Thanks for including the video. It is a lovely thing to see when someone actually does something truly meaningful. Good luck Jen
way to go. Keep up the good work!
Wow!
This is a very impressive and inspiring video. I could tell the children really enjoyed the work out and the attention. Clearly, their self esteem is being built up and everyone needs that type of training and fun. Truly you can see the efforts of giving and receiving from the trainers, they enjoyed it just as much as the kids. I love this idea and the world is a better place because of it! Keep up to great work buddies!
A wonderful concept and effort! And, your video is beautiful. Well done!
Good Luck if I can't be the winner - I would love for a kid based company like yours would be fabulous! What a wonderful program you have.
Boycott Intuit and Quickbooks - forced upgrades will not help keep customers or continue loyalty. I'm actively looking for alternatives to QuickBooks. #BoycottIntuit @BoycottQuickbooks
This program takes personal training to another level. A great personal trainer evaluates what the athlete has to start with, then developes their individual program to best maximize their abilities, making it fun along the way. Jen has done that with Fit Buddies-the focus on their ABILITIES is so refreshing and must be exactly what they miss out on so often in life. Your program enriches their lives and they "pay it forward", enriching lives of those around them!
"Do what you love and love what you do"--Jen's got the right idea and everyone wins as a result. What a wonderful concept, hope it becomes a francise across the country.
Awesome!
Jen, it's a great program! Great work and Good Luck!
Finalist story from FITBuddies:
I will never forget the day Xenia walked through the doors of FIT with her head down possessing little to no self-esteem. She portrayed the typical model of an individual with Down Syndrome and the plethora of health problems they are faced with. She was soon running through the doors, hugging and high fiving everyone and was even caught posing in the mirror as she turned from side to side to admire herself. She turned to me with tears in her eyes and exclaimed, “Look at me! I’m amazing!!”
I started FITBuddies seeking to combine two of my passions: I wanted to focus on the health and wellness of individuals with intellectual disabilities. Three years later, FITBuddies, small group training for individuals with special needs, has surpassed all my hopes and expectations.
Individuals with intellectual disabilities wage constant battle trying to fit into our society. Exclusion, failure, and a lack of self worth are simply part of life’s daily battle. The FITBuddies program is scaled to meet the needs of the individuals but pushes them beyond what most think possible. They train together alongside others who can witness first hand that they can do the same things as everyone else. The effect of being a part of a community and achieving success in their pursuit of physical fitness is overwhelmingly empowering.
Participants have gone from shy individuals lacking confidence, repeatedly telling me “I can’t do it, it’s too hard” to exclaiming, “I can learn something new; it just takes practice!” They have proven, if given the opportunity, time and ongoing instruction, they can and will learn and adapt “just like you and me.” Jeremy provides an example of how this increased confidence and sense of achievement carries over into their everyday lives. Jeremy has progressed from a deconditioned, uncertain individual to a confident Starbucks employee, giving presentations to promote employment for individuals with special needs. He credits the confidence he’s gained through FITBuddies as one of the keys to his achievements.
My current goal is to expand the FITBuddies program nationwide providing training and guidelines for professionals, facilities and parents/caregivers who are interested in providing professional, physical training to individuals with intellectual disabilities. If granted the money, I will be able to accomplish many of my goals and continue my quest to help improve the health and wellness of this special population one buddy at a time.
As Jeremy, who is 24 with Down Sydrome says, “If you believe in yourself, others will begin to believe in you as well, you can then do anything.” When I started FITBuddies, I was heading down a path of unknown territory for myself. There was not a lot of research or available resources in the field to answer all of my questions. I quickly determined that some of my most important resources as well as valuable lessons would actually come directly from the individuals I was trying to help.
The best way to sum up this program and video is like that TV commercial:
Finalists --$5,000, Runner-Ups --- $10,000, and Winner -- $25,000, Putting a smile on these children's face ---Priceless !!!!
Great job and good luck in expanding this wonderful program.