Picking up Speed Go FIT Grows at a Strong Pace

Sue Kaplan calls is “a good problem to have.”

She was referring to the rapid pace of growth being recorded by the program she created called Go FIT — which en-gages formerly sedentary women and youth into a walk-to-run program dedicated to empowering, educating, and motivating such individuals to take charge of their lives — and the challenges presented by that growth.

Go FIT, a non-profit foundation, has seen a surge in requests for its customized walk-to-run programs — they are coming from both within the 413 area code and now well beyond it — and it is also gaining recognition from a number of sources for the work it does.

These include Runner’s World magazine, which profiled the program and Kaplan in its August issue, in a section called ‘Real People Doing Amazing Things,’ and the national Daily Points of Light program started by former president George H.W. Bush, and continued by his son, President George W. Bush. Go FIT was recently honored as a point of light in July.

There have been other honors as well; Kaplan was recognized earlier this month with the 2006 Elms College Step Forward Woman of Vision Award, presented to an individual who is giving back to the community. Step Forward is an academic enrichment, cultural appreciation, and fine arts program developed by Elms College for middle school girls and boys who show academic promise, and Kaplan was honored for bringing Go FIT to that program.

This profound, and somewhat unexpected growth of the fledgling venture has led the organization to take some organizational steps aimed at helping it assume its broader mission, said Kaplan. Go FIT opened a permanent office this spring in Wilbraham, she noted, and it is now beginning the process of hiring a part-time executive director.

“This is something we have to do,” she told The Healthcare News, noting that while she has acted in such a capacity to date, hiring a director is necessary to handle everything from paperwork to public relations activities and thus move the organization forward.

With a director on board to handle the myriad day-day activities involved with the organization, Kaplan said she can devote more of her time to networking and creating more of the relationships with area businesses and organizations that have enabled Go FIT to get off to such a fast start.

Go FIT programs are free to all participants and include weekly exercise sessions and guest speakers on the topics of nutrition, fitness, drug prevention, and self-motivation. As incentive for completion, each participant receives free running shoes, socks, T-shirts, water bottles, snacks and most important, mentorship. In its first year, the group conducted eight programs, and has already handled 18 this year, said Kaplan, noting that, if it had the resources, it could do more than 100 in 2006 — that’s how great the response has been.

“And since the Runner’s World story appeared, we’ve been getting even more requests,” she said. “This response has been tremendous, but it presents us with some challenges.”

And while hiring an exective director is now priority one, the foundation will take its time, said Kaplan, noting that finding the right individual is more important than filling the position.

“We want an individual who has some passion for our mission, is able to work with many different constituencies, and isn’t afraid to get his or her hands dirty,” she said, adding that she expects to have someone hired by fall.