Just Give Me a Reason

It would seem that this sort of thing couldn’t happen. How is it possible that an entrepreneur, who saw a need in her community, filled that need successfully, is told to quit? How is this even happening? It makes no sense.

Christina Landry, military spouse and a veteran herself, founded DumBell Fitness 5 years ago. As a personal trainer, she saw that the number one barrier to military moms getting fit and taking care of themselves was a lack of child care. Seeing that need, she created a company that offered a variety of classes and hired childcare providers to play with and watch kiddos on-site, while moms got their workout in. She hired fellow military spouses and paid them a fair wage. Isn’t recognizing a need, having the gumption to create an idea and run with it a good thing? Give me a reason why this is wrong.

To be official and legal, she approached the MWR (Navy’s Morale Welfare and Recreation organization) with her idea. They informed her that it was a military housing decision because of the location of the classes. She then approached the housing company, Forest City, and was given the green light.

Please understand a couple of things. DumBell Fitness is more than just fitness. It’s more than just some random military spouses getting together in unused parking lots and unused grassy fields. They provide clients with the tools to combat depression, long separations, and creates much-needed real community among military spouses. As a result of success at improving physical health, clients realize their own potential – many for the first time. DBF supports our military one family at a time, in a concrete and tangible way. This program literally saves lives. It saved mine.

Christina Landry has been selected two years in a row for the 2014 Best of Honolulu Awards for Personal Trainers and now qualifies for the Honolulu Business Hall of Fame. Two consecutive years she was voted Military Spouse of the Year. She not only shares a vision to make her community better, but she actually DOES it. DumBell Fitness gives back by way of local charity events, kids’ bootcamp programs that stress the importance of physical activity for our children, classes and races for charity, volunteerism and so much more.

After operating with full legal compliance and permissions, DumBell Fitness was suddenly told they would have to bid on a contract to continue operations on Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam (JBPHH). The contract was then awarded to a non-military affiliated company that not only charges more for services, but does not include childcare when DumBell Fitness could not offer MWR more than a 5% cut.

A friend and fellow client put it this way:

“Let me get this straight. The owner of Dumbell Fitness … goes thru the proper channels and gets housing/base approval to use the EMPTY grassy areas/parking lots by housing … MWR gets mad, then requires her to submit a bid on her own program, to which MWR/JBPHH pick another non-military affiliated boot camp to run what Dumbell already was doing. Please tell me how this makes any sense? Seems like MWR stole her idea and then sold it to the highest bidder. Insane.”

As a contract writer for DumBell Fitness, I know firsthand how this company helps people. I see it in the articles I write highlighting the successes of it’s clients. I read about it in the way these ‘recruits’ can barely put into the words the gratitude they feel for their trainers.

This is what loving your neighbor as yourself looks like in action.

Just give me a (legitimate) reason why this is even happening, when the benefit to Navy, personnel, active duty, military families, spouse employment and the community at large is so great?

What can we do? We can support DumBell Fitness and get the word out that what happened was wrong! Here are some links to get you started and keep you in the loop!I if you wish you had DumBell Fitness in your neighborhood – check out their program DB4L! It’s awesome and unlike ANY other workout program you’ve ever tried! (I know this because I USE IT!)

From the owner herself: