Kinesiology students are revving up the community with their physical activity programs.
On the fifth floor of the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, the Revved Up club brings together a diverse community of persons with disabilities to participate in exercise sessions. To Revved-Up, 20 students behind the club are channeling their ion for fundraising to keep the club’s momentum going.
The club’s fundraising arm, “Let’s Get Revved Up,” started because the program isn’t funded by the community or government, Hanna Burt, co-chair of the Let’s Get Revved Up Club, said. The group increases awareness about accessible physical activity options through Revved Up and collects donations.
“We wanted to increase awareness about accessible physical activity options, increase community advocacy, and just show the student behind this program,” Burt said in an interview with The Journal.
Revved Up holds sessions Monday through Friday with 175 participants. In addition to in-person sessions, students host at-home sessions over Zoom. The sessions run from 10 a.m. until the afternoon.
According to Amanda Cunningham, program coordinator for Revved Up, the club hasn’t received any information about how the university’s budget cuts will impact the program. She said it would be a big loss for the community if the program were to be cut.
“For participants who attend the program, it would be quite devastating to not receive funding for the certificate or something equivalent to run this program,” Cunningham said in an interview with The Journal.
The Revved Up program runs in partnership with the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies and is ed by the Queen’s Disability and Physical Activity (DIPA) Certificate. This partnership allows students to apply their in-class learning and gain practical experience.
The club is currently fundraising to buy the “New Step,” an accessibility machine designed for stepping motions, requested by participants. It has a swivel chair to make it easier for participants to get in and out of the machine.
Currently, the group has raised $3,000 out of their $11,000 goal through initiatives like silent auctions, trivia nights, and the Walk N’ Roll A-Thon.
“We’re working to fundraise for a very important and loved piece of equipment in the gym that the participants selected, and they wanted to work towards,” Cunningham added.
The student volunteers work with participants from Providence Care on Tuesdays and Thursdays to give back to the community.
“These kinds of options are more limited for the marginalized populations we serve. Coming to Revved Up once or twice a week can make the difference for those populations,” Cunningham said.
Revved s Up’ has student volunteers, who are qualified exercise professionals, work to create personalized workout plans tailored to each participant’s needs. During the sessions, participants work toward the specific goals laid out in their plans.
Throughout their sessions, participants receive social and physical training from volunteers. Participants can undergo reassessment to adjust their program to keep progressing towards their goals.
For Cunningham, this program positively impacts the community just as much as it impacts the students who want to work in the healthcare field. It allows students to have a practical experience while learning from participants who have the space to talk and share their stories.
“In the long run, the biggest thing is to promote this program and show how many people it touches and the importance of it, the need to ensure longevity and sustainability of programs like this because there’s very little in the Kingston community,” Burt said.
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