BodyStrong Chatham

Hey everyone, Jess here... most of you know me if you have ever been to the gym, if you don't I am the wife of one of the owners(Corey) and help manage/run Chatham’s daily operations. The reason for this fund is in answer to the numerous calls, emails & messages we have received from people all over that would like to help support us in this fight. We have already received donations in person from so many great people. If you have been following us, you know we decided to open BodyStrong Chatham on May 20th against Governor Bakers guidelines. We couldn't afford to stay closed any longer nor could our members. Health/Fitness centers were placed in phase 3 along with bars and casinos which is slated to open at the EARLIEST June 29th. We feel your Physical and Mental health is being ignored, a person's health is absolutely essential but Governor Bakers "guidelines" say differently. With that being said, we would've never open BodyStrong Chatham if we did not think we could provide our members who have been with us since day one, for over 12 years a safe environment to do so. We have set in place a very strict protocol for our staff and our members to have a safe environment to workout in. We have also limited our capacity to around 10% occupancy (20 people in our 10,000 sqft facility at a time).  Every business is "essential" to someone, all businesses that can meet the requirements of the CDC safety protocols, should be allowed to open. Update on the fight to keep our business and our doors open to you: Town of Chatham Board of Health issued us starting May 20th with a verbal warning to close, 3 citations and fines (totaling $600) followed by a cease and desist. Last Friday 5/12 after some silence the State (DOL) now stepped in, we have been issued  2 cease and desist orders via email now followed with daily fines of $300 ($900 in total so far) Reasons for all citations/orders were: "BodyStrong Chatham is a non-essential business that does not provide essential services" We are prepared to stand in front of a judge and be heard, If we get to that point we will have to retain our attorney, who has offered his advice thus far. We have been able to pay all fines with money donated, THANK YOU! This fund will strictly be used for legal fees, BodyStrong Chatham as a business is NOT GOING ANYWHERE! We owe huge thank you to our great landlord Dan Meservey Sr. for working with us to keep us here in the Chatham community, he has amazing. We have the right to save our business and the right to provide the essential services of our business to our members. There is a vast range of what a gym does for a variety of people… mainly those battling mental heath, depression and addiction (which is killing so many) and all the members using us for their physical therapy. This is not fair, it’s not fair to us and certainly not fair to you. To everyone who has needed us… we hear you, we see you! We see your face entering the building and we notice your face on the way out... your energy, the light that comes alive in you when you leave is unmeasured. Everyone who has walked through our door (especially during this time), donated, called and give great support, THANK YOU for giving us the strength to continue. You are the reason we are fighting this fight. Being healthy, staying healthy & getting healthy..  it's all an essential part of life. We know how much you count on us! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. BODYSTRONG CHATHAM Colin, Corey & Jess Some info on what we are doing as far as safety protocols http://m.youtube.com/watch?v+Ekf4PO6usl