Newtown, PA, February 6, 2014: The Newtown Athletic Club (NAC) was flooded with folks who usually workout, taking hot showers, eating at the NACafe and powering up their electronic devices all day and into the evening on Wednesday, February 5th. Since the snow and ice storm which hit late on Tuesday evening took out power from over 650,000 homes and businesses (second only to the 800,000 in Hurricane Sandy) thousands of people from our local area were stranded with no heat, hot water, light and the like.
Having the good fortune to still have power, the NAC kept its doors open, lined the hallways with extra tables and filled every available outlet with power strips. Good folks with no power hunkered down and showered, ate and powered up. Some were here for hours keeping the wheels turning in their businesses. Some were here killing time with kids reveling in yet another day off from school. Basketball courts were filled along with group exercise rooms projecting one of the NAC’s newest amenities, Fitness on Demand. People were able to go to a main frame computer, select a class to view on an automatic drop down screen (no live instructor required) and follow along with a challenging workout. It was share and share alike all day. People made new friends, shared tables, shared outlets, and enjoyed using the brand new hotel quality towels just introduced on Monday.
According to Amanda Konigsberg, Director of Marketing, “Our fans and friends were chatting all day on Facebook saying things like…Thank you, NAC, it was great to have a place to go…even when the weather strikes, and like a good neighbor, NAC will be there.”
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It is on days such as these that a business has the opportunity to prove its metal and either step up to the plate or not. “If it is possible to be there for your fellow man”, commented NAC Director of Public Relations, Linda Mitchell, “then we say do it, and know that in paying it forward, the payback will always come”. For the NAC, the payback is in being able to help the community, members and non-members alike.
Ultimately, the NAC is more than a health club, it is a community resource for everyone in times of need for over 35 years. And in the end any business ultimately is only in business because of the support of its clients, customers or members. So thank you to our community. We will always be here for you.
