CAMDEN, S.C. — Thanks to a donation from the newly built Planet Fitness in Camden and one county official who wants to remain anonymous, The Boys & Girls Club, Jackson Teen Center in Camden will be opening a gym and juice bar inside their building.
Brian Mayes, director at the Jackson Teen Center says, "Instead of getting you a big ole soda or coke...we're gonna give you a juice after the practice of working out,". An initiative he says, will hopefully get students to eat healthily.
The gym equipment will be coming from Planet Fitness and this will allow the students to have access to weights and cardio style machines.
Opening the juice bar inside the gym is something Mayes is excited about, adding a student will be working the juice bar each time the gym is open.
When the students are given a juice they will be given a form to fill out that will allow them to read about health what is included in the juice.
Mayes says it's a personal accomplishment, "The goal is to fight diseases that plague our community like diabetes, and high blood pressure."
Student, Israel Macklin is hopeful having access to weights and clean eating will help his performance in sports, "Taking care of your body and being physically active helps you in your future life and it helps you get better,".
Mayes says the goal is to get the conversation all the way to people's homes to change the narrative. "It's also a community conversation, so fun fact instead of having a fee to enter the basketball games you have to take a free sample juice and then boom you can go in for free,".
Mayes says the juice bar and gym will be open for students by the summer.