Franchise News

In North America, nearly 12% of people live below the poverty line. Many of these are children without parents. This means millions of North American kids are left without Christmas every year.

Because of this, Matt Wilber, Fit Body Boot Camp owner and West Michigan native, began his holiday charitable giving in 2013 when he opened his first Fit Body location in Grand Haven, Michigan with the purpose of helping others and inspiring them to change their lives.

Since Fit Body Boot Camp transcends fitness, Matt was also dedicated to transforming more than people's physical capabilities. He decided to identify and help those who need the most guidance – children in his community.

This led him to partner with a client who helped him identify children in need, and eventually formed the Big Give 501(c)(3) charitable organization in 2018. The Big Give gives children Christmas gifts such as back-to-school supplies, clothes, toys, and many more resources.

Since raising $3,200 in 2013 with the support of his Grand Haven Fit Family, Matt has opened a total of 10 Fit Body Boot Camp locations where he, his team, and clients have raised and donated over $850,000 for underprivileged children.

And on October 8th, 2022, in celebration of the Big Give's 9th year of charitable giving, Matt and his team held an event at LMCU Ballpark with the bold goal to raise $250,000 to help 1000 children in and around West Michigan. This was all while also trying to break the World Record for the largest Jumping Jack Work Out.

Over 1,500 people attended to support the cause including the official judicial staff from the Guinness Book of World Records, raising a total of nearly $100,000. Unfortunately, the attempt to beat the World Record fell short by 750 people, but the end result was massive.

"I am completely humbled and honored with our Fit Body Family. Our goal this year is to raise $250,000 and help 1,000 West Michigan kids have Christmas. Our long-term goal is to ensure every kid in West Michigan has Christmas. We appreciate our community's support as we cannot do it alone," said Matt Wilber.

100% of every dollar donated to the Big Give goes to purchasing necessities and presents for children. And, because the Big Give is a 501(c)(3), 100% of donations are tax deductible. Visit the Big Give website at www.big-give.org. For more information on the Big Give, please email [email protected]

"Matt, his team and amazing clients made it easy for our Headquarters team to come out and support from a Fit Body Global perspective. I am sincerely grateful for all the support from our Global Fit Body community. Our clients are the true heroes. And this extraordinary effort gives us even more excitement to support Matt, team, and our Fit Body community to break the World Record in 2023 while doing an incredible amount of good in the process," said Bryce Henson, Fit Body Boot Camp CEO and location owner.

Founded by Bedros Keuilian in 2009, Fit Body Boot Camp is the world's fastest growing fitness boot camp, offering members around the world affordable, high-intensity, 30-minute fat loss boot camps that challenge the body and deliver results. As an established, award-winning brand, Fit Body Boot Camp has been recognized by Inc. Magazine on its Inc. 5,000 list for fastest growing companies in the United States and Entrepreneur Magazine on its Franchise 500 list. With hundreds of locations in North America Fit Body Boot Camp is growing through franchising, offering a best-in-class investment for qualified prospects. For more information about Fit Body Boot Camp including franchise opportunities, please visit https://fitbodybootcamp.com/.