Each morning around 5:30, residents of Chapel Hill, Durham and Chatham County gather to work out as part of the F3 fitness organization. No matter the weather, the groups of men go through their boot camp-style exercises.
Jeff Nieman, a Chapel Hill resident and the assistant district attorney for Orange County’s state district, is a regular of the F3 Churham group.
“F3 stands for ‘fitness, fellowship and faith’ and it’s a completely self-led exercise group that also tends to be more than that,” he says. “Faith, as defined by the founders, is believing in something larger than yourself.”
Nieman describes the local chapter of the nationwide F3 workouts as “serious about gathering, but gathering safely.” Before the pandemic, F3 Churham members would use their 45-minute workouts as a springboard to then meet new people, eat at restaurants or attend other events with each other. While the group has continued their workouts safely and distanced from each other, four members decided to bring back some of the fellowship and faith the group offers by helping others this winter.
Nieman and fellow F3 Churham members Aaron Westrick, Adam Langino and Sean Cavanaugh, recently crafted a plan toward the end of November. When Langino was struck by inspiration to help local businesses and community members who need extra aid this holiday season, the three others also felt motivated.
“Adam sent a text to a thread we’re members of,” describes Nieman, “and said ‘I have this idea of doing this [fundraiser],’ which is find a way to get business to local restaurants in the form of purchasing a bunch of gift cards and then distributing them to families in need. Then he said, ‘who wants to meet up in my driveway tonight to talk about it?’ [We] three guys showed up in his driveway and the organizing committee formed like that.”
The idea they hatched less than two weeks ago has already resulted more than $20,000 raised.
The Holiday Hometown Hope fundraiser organized by the group has seen vast support from other F3 Churham members and those who have learned about it. Westrick says of the hundreds of workout participants, those who frequent different meeting spots in the area have turned the effort into a chance to push each other.
“We’ve been running a competition between our workout locations,” Westrick describes. “Because we have this bond and we know each other, there’s a lot of fun rivalry [as we] go back and forth and raise more money. That’s been the majority of it, but now we’re starting to see increasing traction in the community because when we share this with other people, they say ‘that’s a really cool idea.'”
Westrick says the group is focused on supporting smaller, local businesses in the region with their gift certificate purchases. Businesses like Top of the Hill in Chapel Hill, The Original Q Shack in Durham and Carrburritos in Carrboro will help provide meals to neighbors in need. Additionally, many restaurants who will benefit from the effort have told the F3 Churham members they will match some of the donations themselves.
Recipients of the gift certificates will get them during the holiday season through the United Church of Chapel Hill, which distributes to partners like Orange County’s Refugee Center and the non-profit First in Families.
Nieman says this particular fundraiser will collect money through Monday, December 14. With the pandemic set to continue into 2021 and the early support seen from the community, though, the F3 members say they may consider running similar initiatives again.
Photo via Jeff Nieman.
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