LORAIN – Get set to sweat.
United Way of Greater Lorain County announced that United We Sweat will return to Lorain County this September.
United We Sweat is a countywide fitness collaboration that offers a variety of free exercise options in Lorain County during September.
The collaboration was formed to promote healthy living by raising awareness on the types of fitness and nutrition options available, organizers say.
Events are planned to encourage participation from all ages and fitness levels. All United We Sweat classes and events are free and open to the public, with donations being accepted at the events in support of United Way of Greater Lorain County.
United We Sweat is a collaboration between United Way of Greater Lorain County, French Creek Family YMCA, Lorain County Community College, Lorain County General Health District, Lorain County Metro Parks, Mercy Health and Recreation Center, University Hospitals Avon Health Center and the Vermilion Family YMCA.
‘Seeing the impact that all of these organizations had together last September with United We Sweat was phenomenal, so we are ecstatic to offer even more this year,’ United Way of Greater Lorain County executive director Bill Harper said. ‘This is an accessible step toward Lorain County becoming a healthier community.’
United We Sweat will offer 58 classes and events at 16 locations.
With the exception of Labor Day, at least one event will be held every day in September. Participants automatically will be entered into raffles at each event with a chance to win health and fitness-related prizes to help encourage continued participation.
Prizes include gift cards, pedometers, fitness center memberships and personal training sessions.
This year’s United We Sweat featured event will be a Family Field Day at High Meadows Park at the Black River Reservation in Elyria from 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 13.
Each partner brings a unique expertise to the collaboration, with an emphasis on reaching into each geographic region of Lorain County. The French Creek and Vermilion Family YMCA’s will provide programming at six different outreach locations. Lorain County Community College will host nine classes on its main campus and also will provide programming at events in the Metro Parks.
The Lorain County General Health District will help promote the events while hosting the online home of United We Sweat at its livehealthyloraincounty.com website.
The Metro Parks will showcase seven of its parks as well as Splash Zone and the Mercy Health and Recreation Center. UH Avon Health Center will host multiple events Sept. 18-21 and a special Les Mills Launch on Sept. 27.
A detailed schedule of events, with full dates, times, descriptions and addresses, can be found at www.livehealthyloraincounty.com/unitedwesweat.
