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Business & Tech

CrossFit201 Teams with Homes For Our Troops to Aid Wounded Soldiers

The Franklin Lakes-based gym is holding a fundraiser for the non-profit organization on Nov. 11.

CrossFit201 is making strides to raise money for severely wounded soldiers returning from battle by teaming up with Homes For Our Troops to hold a fundraiser. 

Homes For Our Troops is a national non-profit, non-partisan organization. It was founded in 2004 to aid disabled veterans, making their everyday lives a little easier by improving their living situations.

CrossFit201 employee Kirsten Stuart is behind the HFOT fundraiser.

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She heard about the organization through a friend and realized that it was a great fit for a CrossFit201 fundraiser, being that the gym utilizes many military-like workouts in its programs.

“It’s something that’s really beneficial and helpful,” she explained. “I’m hoping to get as many people as possible to come and support and make it a success,” she said.

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“We are strongly committed to helping those who have selflessly given to our country and have returned home with serious injuries since September 11, 2001," said Jen Reed, a public relations manager with HFOT, explained.

"It is our duty and our honor to assist severely injured veterans and their immediate families by raising donations of money, building materials and professional labor and to coordinate the process of building a home that provides maximum freedom of movement and the ability to live more independently,” she said. 

So far, HFOT has completed 113 home building projects in 33 states.  Currently, the organization builds about 30 to 35 new homes each year.  Financial support comes from donations, grants, and corporate sponsors such as Kohler, Plygem, Volvo Rents, among others. HFOT receives no outside funding from the government, Reed said.

Reed noted that often times, veterans attend fundraisers to pay it forward to those that support them.

This way, fundraiser attendees can get a small taste of what people like Reed, who work for HFOT, experience on a daily basis. 

“I have the best job on the planet! I have had the privilege to meet some of the most amazing human beings I have ever encountered in my life," she said. "It really puts into perspective what is important and knowing that we are doing something that is playing even a small part in making the rest of their lives better is an amazing feeling to have each day.”

The fundraiser will be held at Crossfit201 at 779 Susquehanna Ave., Franklin Lakes, on Nov. 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. Attendees can participate in a CrossFit competition, dance along to a DJ, bid in a silent auction, and enjoy a meal along with others supporting the cause.

The $20 entry fee will be donated to Homes For Our Troops. Donations can also be made online

Contact Kirsten Stuart at kirstenHFOT@gmail.com with any questions.

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