Courage Center Hosts Grand Opening Celebration for State-of-the-Art Fitness Center for People with Physical Disabilities.

Lifestyle Editors/Feature Editors/Assignment Desks

MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 16, 2004

Courage Center, a nationally-known rehabilitation and resource center for people with disabilities, announced today that it will host a grand opening celebration in honor of the recent opening of its second, fully-accessible, state-of-the-art fitness center on Wednesday, April 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"The Courage Fitness Center grand opening celebration is a wonderful opportunity for people with all types of physical disabilities, such as arthritis, stroke, chronic back pain and spinal cord injury, to come in and check out Courage Center's innovative fitness center that was designed with their specific needs in mind," said Deb Salhus, director of Medical Rehabilitation and Education.

During the Courage Fitness Center grand opening celebration, guests will have the opportunity to take a tour of both the fitness center and Courage Center, as well as participate in a health screening. The grand opening celebration will also consist of fitness demonstrations, free chair massages, hourly prize drawings and a dedication program from 2 to 3 p.m., where one lucky guest will win a one-year membership to the fitness center.

Guests who join the Courage Fitness Center during the grand opening celebration will also receive 20 percent off the center's one-time $55 membership fee, which includes an initial fitness assessment and orientation.

The Courage Fitness Center officially opened for business on Monday, Feb. 2 at Courage Center's corporate headquarters, 3915 Golden Valley Road, Minneapolis. The fitness center is modeled after Courage Center's first fitness center, which opened in July 2001 at Courage St. Croix, 1460 Curve Crest Blvd., Stillwater.

"Both Courage Fitness Centers are designed to encourage and promote health and wellness for people with physical disabilities," said Salhus. "Wellness and fitness are especially important for people with physical disabilities since they are more susceptible to secondary health conditions, such as weight gain, high blood pressure, osteoporosis and diabetes."

Each Courage Fitness Center is fully-accessible and has state-of-the-art exercise equipment by such manufacturers as Cybex, Paramount and Pulse, including stationary arm bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines, free weight stations, strength training machines, NuSteps and an Uppertone Quad Gym.

Wellness and fitness programming at each Courage Fitness Center includes such offerings as aquatics, adapted aerobics, circuit training, adapted yoga, Tai Chi, stay fit programming, nutrition and weight loss, therapeutic massage, open fitness center and personal training.

Membership at both Courage Fitness Centers is open to adults and children as young as 11 with physical disabilities. After completing an initial assessment, new members receive recommendations for customized fitness programming to meet their specific wellness and fitness goals. Participants benefit from the expertise of professionally trained staff who have experience working with clients who have a variety of physical disabilities. Both Courage Fitness Centers offer a variety of fees for service based on the fitness program selected.

The Courage Fitness Center grand opening celebration is open to the public and free of charge. For more information about the event, please call Judy Giergielewicz, Wellness Fitness coordinator, at 763-520-0416 or visit http://www.courage.org.

About Courage Center

Courage Center is a nationally-known, not-for-profit rehabilitation and resource center for people with physical disabilities, brain injuries, speech or vision impairments, or hearing loss. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Courage Center offers comprehensive, life-long services to people of all ages. Courage Center's wide-ranging services are designed to empower people with disabilities to reach their full potential in every aspect of life. For more information about Courage Center, visit http://www.courage.org.