Hungary's first integrative gym has opened!
The gym will operate as a social enterprise, employing people with disability and people with health conditions (for example there will be physically challenged persons at the reception and visually impaired masseurs). The gym offers special equipment accessible for wheelchair users. Such machines cannot be found elsewhere in Hungary.
Details and sponsors of the investment
The construction works of the gym took 8 months. The whole project took 2 years, and cost altogether HUF 60 million. More than HUF 25 million came from companies who not only supported the establishment of the gym but will fund the first years of the social enterprise. Many corporations have contributed with products, services or discounts. These contributions were worth over HUF 13 million.
Moreover, volunteers of SUHANJ! were also actively participating in the works. Over 200 volunteers worked more than 2000 hours total.
The main sponsors of the SUHANJ! Fitness are Budapest Airport and Etalon Informatika.
SUHANJ! has received an indispensable aid as one of the winner of the “Lépj velünk” social innovation program of Unicredit Bank (2015/2016). It made it possible to start purchasing the special accessible equipment that is found at the gym. As part of the prizes, SUHANJ! participates in a six-month mentor program, during which NESsT and experts of the bank help our work.
The interior design of the gym was created pro bono by Noppa Design.
The establishment of the integrative gym was supported by the Municipality of District 13 of Budapest.
Other key sponsors were: Mapei, MagnetBank, Knorr-Bremse, IT Service Hungary, Libra Szoftver, Hewlett-Packard, Orlai Produkciós Iroda, Bátorfi Fogászat, and Emerald Development Kft.
The construction was hepled by products by Fitness Life Kft., Mapei, Zalakerámia, MART, Trilak, Gerisoft, and Simon Wellness.
The construction was aided by a fundraising campaign. 212 donors have contributed a total of HUF 3.650.000. The names of those who bought the HUF 10.000 “Brick-ticket” will be on the wall of the gym for 10 years.
SUHANJ! would like to thank everyone who has helped in any way to make this project possible. Thanks to them, our country’s first integrative gym has successfully opened.
SUHANJ! was founded in 2010 as a non-profit organization with the aim to share the joy of sports with people living with disabilities. SUHANJ! organizes sport programmes for physically and/or mentally challenged people and visually impaired people. They participate in our weekly trainings and compete in running, swimming and triathlon races with the help of our volunteers. SUHANJ! also organizes awareness raising programmes.