Fundraising and community impact take flight at local gym 

The COVID years were scary for the owners of Flight Performance and Fitness, as they had to shut down their physical location and hatch plans for Zoom workouts. It was particularly hard for Flight co-owner Jared Collinson — his mom overcame breast cancer in 2019 but she received a new cancer diagnosis shortly afterward, and eventually died of the disease.   

Throughout this difficult time, the staff at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute were a shining light. “I’d drive her to Dana-Farber and she always said great things, and that they were very special people,” said Collinson. “It was very important to me in her last years and months that she had a good experience.” 

To honor his mother and show his appreciation for the outstanding staff at Dana-Farber, Collinson and Flight co-owner Dylan Gutheil decided to bring together gym members to raise money for the cancer center. “The last couple years we had to make that a big part of our work,” said Gutheil.

This Saturday, Dec. 20 from 1 to 4 p.m., up to 60 gym members are taking part in Flight’s third fundraiser benefiting Dana-Farber. Called Meters that Matter, participants ask others to pledge $1 to $5 per each 100 meters they run, bike or ski using the gym’s machines. All proceeds go to Dana-Farber. 

Flight, located at 13 Wall St., has also hosted fundraisers for ALS in honor of the aunt of Gutheil’s girlfriend who passed away two years ago due to the neurological disease. 

Since April 2023, their cancer and ALS fundraisers have raised tens of thousands of dollars. They also give back in other ways, such as a recent food drive for the Healthy Waltham Food Pantry. 

At the upcoming event, participants who raise the most money or cover the most meters, along with their sponsors, will receive a month’s free membership to the gym. A DJ will spin music to keep the energy going, and Tara Diab, a Waltham resident and longtime gym member who owns the local sports massage business Body Mechanix, will provide free massages to participants. 

Body Mechanix is one of several local businesses offering sample services or giveaways through the afternoon. The event has a way of bringing together those focused on giving back.

“We have similar values of community first,” said Collinson, explaining what draws other small businesses to support the efforts. “We’re not just a gym, we have a big community feel.”  

Running for Dana-Farber at the Boston Marathon

Fundraising and training will continue beyond this weekend. Diab and Collinson are planning to run for Dana-Farber in this spring’s Boston Marathon. 

This will be Collinson’s first marathon. A long-time rugby player who enjoys lifting weights, he finds many activities easier than long-distance running but he has been building up to it recently, from 5K events to a half marathon this fall. 

“I always said I wanted to do it,” Collinson said, speaking of the Boston Marathon. “There’s so much emotion to it.” 

Diab made a commitment to a loved one three years ago to “do the hardest thing I said I’d never do — run a marathon.” She has since proudly finished two Boston Marathons and is going for her third next year at age 63. 

At Diab’s local business, a massage client will be taking part in her 28th Boston Marathon in a row, also running for Dana-Farber. With her client’s help, Diab and Collinson have received marathon bibs with charity numbers. 

Scaling their local impact 

For the Flight co-owners, fundraising reflects their larger mission to impact others and build community, which has been important since the gym’s inception in 2016 and continues to be since they moved to their current Waltham location in 2023. 

“We opened the gym to help people,” said Gutheil. “We were in personal training for a long time … at most I’d see 10 people in a day. After a while I wanted to help more people and make more of an impact.” 

To this end, the gym develops fitness coaches. One of its current coaches, Everett Willard, moved to Waltham with a kinesiology degree, but it was through an internship and continuing education at Flight that he gained the skill and experience to become a fitness trainer. He now trains younger coaches. 

Collinson also mentors local entrepreneurs. His experience launching Flight showed him “how important it is to have businesses help each other, how much of a lever that is, a web of other businesses that refer each other and try to be leaders in the area.” 

Diab highlights why she’s been a Flight member: “The energy they bring to the gym every day is why I’ve been a member for so long. The vibe is just a blast, the music is going, everyone is kind. It’s not just fundraising events, it’s every day.” 
To learn more about Flight, including how to support their fundraising efforts, contact 617-812-5201 or visit flightperformanceandfitness@gmail.com.