Fort Smith Selected By National Fitness Campaign As One Of Ten Cities In America

Fort Smith AR

11 June, 2022

3:53 PM

Description

Press release from the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce: June 8, 2022 (Fort Smith, AR)June 8th 2022 – Last night during the City of Fort Smith Board of Directors Meeting, a representative from the Mayor's Office announced the City of Fort Smith has been selected as one of only ten cities nationwide to curate a one-of-a-kind Jean-Michel Basquiat outdoor Fitness Court®. In addition, Fort Smith received a $30,000 grant from NFC to complete a second Fitness Court featuring a local artist as part of the 2022 National Fitness Campaign. This unique initiative is designed to activate iconic public spaces by uniting the inspiration of world-class art and life-changing benefits of access to healthy infrastructure and will be the first of its kind in the southern United States. Mitch Menaged, Founder of NFC commented, "National Fitness Campaign is proud to welcome Fort Smith to the campaign as a leader in America." The Jean-Michel Basquiat Fitness Court initiative was born in 2020 as part of NFC's Arts and Culture Series, which supports the NFC Grant Fund nationwide. This unique program features the artwork of the world-renown Jean-Michel Basquiat, one of the most influential modern artists in American history, with a functional outdoor gym, the Fitness Court. Artestar made the partnership possible: a global licensing agency and creative consultancy representing high-profile artists, photographers, designers and creatives. NFC delivers a comprehensive community fitness and wellness ecosystem built around the highly acclaimed digital Fitness Court®, a free, seven-station, outdoor functional training center built in public spaces. This award-winning initiative is now welcoming its 500th city across America in 2022, following the first campaign in the 1980s with Wells Fargo bank that reached thousands of locations. Our goal over the next decade is to build a Fitness Court within a 10-minute bike ride of every American. Each Fitness Court® drives healthy habits to people across America, building community outdoors, and connecting people in the name of wellness. Following adoption of the resolution at the Board of Directors Meeting on June 7th, the City of Fort Smith will be inviting leading healthcare organizations, corporations, and local partners to join the campaign and present this program to the community. Organizations interested in participating and being featured nationwide with the City of Fort Smith as part of the Local Artist Fitness Court program are encouraged to contact Jurena Storm, Government Affairs Liaison [email protected]. To learn more about the National Fitness Campaign or the Local Artist Fitness Court initiative, visit nationalfitnesscampaign.com. This press release was produced by the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are the author's own.