“Fitness Boot Camp” Offers Opportunity to Shape Up and Help HAWS

A local fitness entrepreneur is offering residents an opportunity to get in shape for a good cause.

Jeremy Belter, who operates “Fat Blasting Fitness Boot Camps” in New Berlin, will donate all proceeds from his Sept. 26 workout session to the Humane Animal Welfare Society of Waukesha County. The 9 a.m. “boot camp” will be held at Star of Bethlehem Church, 3700 S. Casper Drive, New Berlin.

The “boot camp” session is a 30-minute full-body circuit training regimen. Participants should arrive by 8:45 a.m. and bring their own exercise mat and dumbbells. Suggested minimum donation is $15 per session.

In addition to getting a healthy workout, participants will be able to interact with several “adoption-ready” animals that will be brought to the event.

“The goal of my fitness boot camps has always been to help people improve their physical and mental health,” Belter said. “It’s great to add another positive focus by benefiting HAWS, which provides such a valuable service to our community both for displaced animals and the many families that adopt them.”

Belter, 31, has worked as a fitness coach for five years. He operates the “Fat Blasting Boot Camps” under the auspices of his company, Fitness4U. His charitable sessions are part of a nationwide initiative titled Boot Camps With a Purpose, started in 2007 by a fitness club owner in Exton, Pa.

HAWS participates in numerous fund-raisers, but none literally as physically strenuous as the fitness boot camps, said Jennifer Smieja, its Development Coordinator.

“I really appreciate that Jeremy is doing this,” Smieja said. “It’s contributions from individuals and businesses such as his that allow the Humane Society to continue providing services to the community.”

Founded in 1965, HAWS assists over 6,000 animals each year and welcomes more than 31,000 human visitors annually. An “open admissions” shelter, it accepts animals regardless of age, health, temperament or breed. Its humane education department offers programs and services to promote responsible pet ownership and prevent animal abuse and neglect in our community and beyond. More information is available at www.hawspets.org.