A community nomination initiative will recognise people across Australia and New Zealand who give their time to others.
Pronto Pilates is offering 500 people across Australia and New Zealand a full year of reformer Pilates at no cost, inviting members of the public to nominate someone whose contribution deserves recognition.
The initiative puts the focus on people who spend much of their lives supporting others: nurses working night shifts, teachers staying back after school, carers looking after family members and volunteers who continue to turn up for their communities.
For these people, finding time for themselves can be difficult. The program aims to give something back by making regular movement more accessible.
Making room for themselves
The initiative responds to two barriers that can put exercise out of reach: the cost of participation and the demands of caring for others.
With household budgets under pressure, fitness can be among the expenses people cut. For others, the challenge is making space in a week already shaped by work, family responsibilities and community commitments.
By removing membership costs for a year, Pronto Pilates hopes to give recipients an opportunity to establish a regular practice and dedicate some time to themselves.
“With household budgets under pressure, things like fitness can be one of the first things people cut. But there are also people who miss out for another reason: their time already belongs to everyone else.
The nurse coming off a run of night shifts. The teacher who always stays late. The carer looking after a family member. The volunteer who keeps showing up year after year,” said Stephen Anson, from Pronto Pilates.
“We want to recognise those people and give something back to them.”
The nomination process also offers a way for friends, family members, colleagues and neighbours to acknowledge contributions that can otherwise go unnoticed. It asks people to consider who around them consistently gives their time and energy, and who might benefit from receiving some support in return.
How to nominate
Anyone can nominate someone they know for the program. That might be a colleague who goes beyond the demands of their role, a family member with ongoing caring responsibilities or a volunteer whose contribution has made a difference locally.
Across Australia and New Zealand, 500 recipients will receive a full year of reformer Pilates at no cost.
Australian nominees must be aged 18 or over and meet the program’s nomination criteria, with nominations closing at 11:59pm on Sunday 8 November via the Community Membership nomination form.
To find out more or nominate someone, visit the Pronto Pilates Community Membership page.