Lowe’s, alongside partners from the Carolina Panthers, Veterans Bridge Home and Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation, unveiled a sparkling new fitness court at Veterans Memorial Park in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the culmination of a lot of hard work put forth to honor servicemen and women while also providing an additional fitness resource for the community.
“I'd like to thank everyone who came out to make this happen,” said Lowe’s military recruiting strategist Mike Piper, who was among the associates who volunteered to help build the facility this summer. “To many, this may look like a park, but to organizations such as Veterans Bridge Home, it is so much more. It’s a way to impact the Charlotte veteran community by being the bridge and providing veterans connections with other veterans, employment, and available resources in the area, uniting us all.
“Lowe's is honored to support our Charlotte home team and honor our military every day, which is why we’ve invested $4.5 million in our military partners this year.”
For Charlotte, this fitness court is a first-of-its-kind "outdoor gym" consisting of dynamic stations for veterans, as well as members of the broader community. The installation, which is part of the NFL's Salute to Service initiative, is designed to give veterans a unique gathering space to share fun, fellowship and fitness.
And fitness, executive director of Veterans Bridge Home Blake Bourne explained, is a military foundation.
“This fitness court provides a lot for the veteran community. We can continue to stay fit and stay active like we were in the military and it’s a chance to build relationships,” Bourne said. “But it’s also a sign. It’s a sign that that Mecklenburg County, Lowe’s, Veteran Bridge Home and Charlotte in general love their veterans and want to make sure they feel welcome. This fitness court is a great demonstration of that.”
