Finding a gym to join (let alone working out) has always been a difficult and intimidating thing - especially if you're new to the routine. Luckily for us, The Sweatshop has made the otherwise painful process an easy decision. Matt and company do an amazing job of putting a smile on your face while getting you in shape with costume changes and ever-changing routines.
This time around, The Sweatshop decided to add a Selfless twist to their Saturday workout - bring in perishable items for food donation and work out for FREE all day. Amazingly, Matt and the rest of his personal trainer staff worked out the entire time as willing donors came in throughout the day. In the end, it was an amazing success for everyone who attended. When we spoke to Matt about why he wanted to donate he simply replied "Why WOULDN'T we…in fact it's something I want to do more regularly in the future."
Although it may be more common to see people running away from their problems, the Change of Pace 5K is one example where running has been used to help solve them. In a city where over 90,000 people regularly experience homelessness, Kno Clothing, The Prop, the Selfless team and many others came together to raise both awareness and funding to combat a problem that we undoubtedly pass by every day.
Although the day began as a cold, rainy and windy uncertainty, it ended with smiles, friendship and selflessness. Like with all of our "Active Philanthropy" efforts, the Selfless team not only talked about it, but blogged, marketed, provided media coverage and ran the race.
Diane literally gave a part of herself for a stranger in need - her liver. After her surgery, she chose to rebuild her strength at The Sweatshop. While she was there, she had an idea to help raise money to fight against the disease she helped combat a year prior with a bit of a humorous twist.
The event turned out amazing and a lot more money was raised for the cause than initially expected. It was great to see a gym get behind one of its members so wholeheartedly for a Selfless cause.
It's not often that people get the opportunity to sit down with someone who aims so high behind a powerful message...and doesn't want to be physically recognized for his movement. As a perfect embodiment of a Selfless person within the art community, we decided to take a trip up to Milwaukee for the weekend and talk to Have Goals about the sticker that inspires and gives back to the community that spawned its creation.
Have Goals reached out to our very special art and philanthropy endeavor we call philARThropy. Be sure to keep up with the rest of our active philARThropy projects here.
HEART was the first event that Selfless organized in Chicago. It was inspired almost entirely by our very own Joey Jao's inspiring story. What began as an exercise in Unscene Media's "Why I" story-telling campaign soon found itself molding into an art-centric event at Wicker Park's RGB Lounge where its proceeds would directly benefit the American Heart Association (AHA).
It was powerful to see the artist community rally around such a personal story to donate their multi-disciplinary talents to the cause. It was a real testament that charitable good works do not simply come from those with the deepest pocket books, but the biggest hearts. Check out more at the HEART event website.
