In honor of Black History Month, join some of your favorite coaches for classes that celebrate strength while supporting organizations that make an impact.
Whether it’s breaking a PR, upping our Strength Scores, or finally finishing that advanced class we’ve been grinding through, we all aim to push ourselves a little further, be our strongest, and cheer on others in the community. As our community gets stronger every day, Tonal celebrates our collective strength by giving back.
In honor of Black History Month, some of your favorite Tonal coaches will lead the community through workouts that not only help you push your own limits and break a sweat but also support organizations that make a difference. Tonal is partnering with Coaches Brendon Ayanbadejo, Jared Rodriguez, and Allison Tibbs to support three organizations near and dear to their hearts throughout the month of February. Read on for more info on the organizations and how you can get involved.
Coach Brendon: February 2, 2022 @ 4:30 p.m. PT
Organization: With My Own 2 Hands
With My Own 2 Hands focuses on providing sustainable water and agriculture solutions to communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Women and children in these regions spend 40 billion hours walking for clean water each year. “By gifting clean water, we can address systemic poverty and gender inequality by eliminating the opportunity cost of time-intensive manual labor of sourcing clean water,” says Coach Brendon. Plus, clean water has a huge health impact as well. “Healthy kids and parents mean an opportunity to attend more days of school or more days of work.”
Coach Jared: February 16, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. PT
Organization: Black Collegians Program Umoja Community
Black Collegians Program Umoja Community (BCPUC) assists students of African descent in transferring to four-year universities and obtaining Associate degrees. BCPUC offers services to help them set academic and personal goals while providing a constant source of encouragement.
“I want to help young people who look like me get further educated so they can not only empower themselves for a high quality of life, but so they can also help impact and create a more fair and abundant country for others as well,” says Coach Jared.
This program is especially important for him as it’s is in his “backyard,” at Santa Monica City College in California. “If I can help raise awareness, raise money, and positively impact black students and students of color in my community, that’s the kind of America I can be even more proud of,” he adds.
Coach Allison: February 25, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. PT
Organization: The Loveland Foundation
The Loveland Foundation has created space to discuss mental health and healing for Black women and girls. It also started a fund that helps women get greater access to therapy. This hits home for Coach Allison because she believes that everyone deserves access to spaces that are safe and resources that are healing.
“I spent a good portion of my life suffering in solitude and silence, feeling that something was wrong with me,” she says while admitting that she struggled to find help at first. Finding a therapist was a worthwhile investment, one she acknowledged isn’t always affordable for everyone but, “I knew it was important, and that is when things began to change for me,” she says. “Each dollar raised is going to create a real shift in the black community, and for that, I will be forever grateful.”
How You Can Get Involved
All you need to do is show up. For each person who joins these Live or Encore Give Back Classes with Coach Brendon, Coach Jared, or Coach Allison, Tonal will make a donation to the coach’s organization of choice. Tonal will also make donations for all participants of these coaches’ on-demand classes for the month of February.
Learn more about the organizations:
With My Own 2 Hands – With My Own Two Hands Foundation is committed to providing children with the basic human rights of water, food, and access to education. Founded by UCLA basketball alumna Lindsey Pluimer, With My Own 2 Hands provides a stable water source and establishes sustainable, income-generating farming projects for communities in East Africa. Here are more ways to contribute to the mission.
Black Collegians Program Umoja Community – The Black Collegians Program/Umoja Community at Santa Monica College is designed to assist students of African descent to transfer into four-year universities and obtain their Associate degrees. They offer services to help students become academically competitive and set personal goals. Black Collegians program staff and counselors provide a constant source of encouragement to their students. As a recognized program within the Umoja Community, it abides by the mission and educational philosophy of the Community, while sharing strategies and goals with other Umoja Community programs at the various California Community Colleges statewide. Here are more ways to donate to the cause.
The Loveland Foundation – The Loveland Foundation makes it possible for Black women and girls nationally to receive therapy support. It brings opportunity and healing to communities of color, especially Black women and girls. Through fellowships, residency programs, listening tours, and more, it ultimately hopes to contribute to both the empowerment and the liberation of the communities they serve. Here are more ways to give back.