Catching falls is a tough job. Even though our workhorse gym ropes are great at what they do, eventually they all need replacing. But what to do with all of the retired ropes? They’re no longer safe to climb on, but must ropes go straight from gym to landfill? Couldn’t they find a second life elsewhere?
Of course they can! And we at The Studio were thrilled when Liza Letona of Julia Baldwin Elementary School approached us with a great idea for just that: jump ropes!
All of Julia Baldwin Elementary’s athletic equipment is funded and sourced through volunteers, and it was great to see that our ropes could continue to bring joy to people even if they couldn’t help anyone send a project. This was an especially great donation because all of the ropes were used during Julia Baldwin Elemetary’s 5th annual Jump Rope/Hoops for Heart celebration field day.
“Our community service campaign raised almost $2200 for the American Heart Association,” Liza told us. “The field day is our way of thanking the students for their hard work and encouraging them to put into practice all the ways they learned to keep their heart healthy. Over 400 students age 4 to 13 spent the morning jump roping, hula hooping, Zumba dancing, shooting hoops, playing soccer, running through an obstacle course, improving their volleyball and baseball skills, and doing strength training exercises. Their hearts were pumping!”
Best of all, the kids loved all 75 of the donated jump ropes:
The students were very happy to see the cart filled with colorful new ropes. Gone were the dirty, broken, and knotted ropes used in the past.
“The heavy weight of the ropes was perfect for jumping and the finished ends were comfortable and safe to hold. As you can see in the photos the kids got creative. Not everyone can jump while turning their own rope, so they worked together to include everyone.”
The Studio’s manager Diane was also thrilled to donate to this particular cause. “We have donated ropes to folks that make dog toys for rescue dogs, people who make rope mats, and now jump ropes. This was an especially cool group to donate to since I remember participating in Jump Rope for Heart when I was in elementary school. I was glad to hear that it was still going strong!”
Thanks Julia Baldwin Elementary for giving our ropes new life and for helping hearts everywhere!
For more information about our outreach groups, contact Diane at (408) 998-4000.
