Veteran Owned Gym Devastated by Idalia, Perry FL

Hello, my name is Dustin Whiddon, I’m a 39-year-old Perry Florida native and Marine Corps Veteran. I’m not the best at asking for help, but I feel like I don’t know where else to go but to ask for help here. 3.5 years ago I set out to renovate a 110-year-old historic building by myself in my hometown, and began operating a low cost women’s only gym named ConqHER Fitness here in downtown Perry Florida. We’re a small rural community, and I felt we needed an affordable gym in line with our cost of living. As many of you know, Hurricane Idalia touched down outside of Perry, and left a path of destruction straight through downtown. The hurricane tore over half of my roof off, and left the other half in shreds, flooding the entirety of my building during the storm. It left the women’s gym in shambles, flooded, and covered in debris. All of my personal belongings were on the second story, and in my shop, kids photos, toys, furniture, military records, everything I owned. They are all soaked, and mostly destroyed.

I’ve been working on the building, almost every day, since Dec. 13th 2019 when I left my job and purchased the building from the family who had owned it for 70 years. I sold my house and used 80% of all the money I had saved over the span of my whole life to come up with the down payment to even be able to purchase it. I still have a mortgage. I set out with the goal to return the building to a part of the community, salvaging and using as much the lumber from inside as possible. Over the last 3.5 years, I’ve personally pulled thousands of nails, had to fix leaks, snaked plumbing, addressed electrical issues, and focused on growing a gym my community could be proud of and feel at home in. I’ve never charged a customer more than $25.00 a month, and I’ve never made a customer signed an obligation contract.

The day following the hurricane, I reached out to my insurance company, but I was told I don’t have the right coverage for wind and rain damage, so I am responsible for fixing my entire roof, my personal belongings, gym equipment, and all damage because of the water intrusion because I lost my roof. I’m not as worried about my personal belongings, but as of now, I have no roof. The roof on the ground all the news reporters have been standing in front of all over the nation is my roof. The big building with the mural in everyone’s news background is mine. If I can’t get a new roof, to keep the elements out, I can’t even begin to start repairing the damage to my gym, to give my members a safe, comfortable space to return to. I have a 7200 sq ft. roof, and I’ve gotten about 3 estimates to replace it, and they have all been between $10-15 a sq ft. I’m looking at a replacement cost of 72-108k dollars to replace my roof alone. I’m pursuing every avenue I can think of. I’ve spoken with FEMA, and I’m reaching out to the SBA to attempt to qualify for some sort of emergency loan FEMA told me about, to pay for my own roof. In the last 3.5 years I’ve moved walls, torn out carpet, built yoga rooms, and filled 4 50 yd dumpsters while renovating and salvaging, and I’m committed to doing that again to get my business going again. This business is my sole source of income to provide for me and my two kids.

I’m not looking for help replacing my equipment, my personal belongings, damaged tools, lost materials, and I don’t care about my time spent, or how much work is ahead of me going forward. I don’t mind the work, it’s all I’ve ever known. I love my community and I’m proud to have the honor of preserving a piece of our history. I’ve set the donation amount at the bare minimum to get me back to having a roof, so I can continue working on the building, and keep the building dry. This is the first time I’ve ever asked anyone for help like this, and to say I’m lost is an understatement. Thank you for your time in reading this. If you can donate any amount, or even share this, it is greatly appreciated.

We also have Venmo and CashApp:

Venmo: @Dustin-Whiddon

CashApp: $amandamariegee

Thank you,

Dustin J. Whiddon & Amanda Gaddis