Interview with Denise Moser, Executive Director of Functional Fitness 4 Kids
Dr. Kwame Brown
I have known Denise Moser for some time, and we work 3 blocks away from each other, so doing this interview was a treat. I attempted to have the interview in the same room, but as you'll hear from the audio, it was technically impossible.
So, I ended up doing it guerilla style, standing behind the building where I could get reception while Denise sat in her office. Hilarious!
I first ran across Denise a couple of years ago when she came into the center where I work, to pitch her program. I thought, "Oh Lord, here comes another shoddy kid's program". I decided to attend one of Denise's workshops, and was pleasantly surprised to find that she was applying IYCA principles. This was not because she had been trained by us, but more importantly because she came to the same conclusion that we did: Kid's fitness needed to be both fun and functional. I had seen too many programs that were either one or the other.
Here are some snippets of my interview with Denise. The complete interview is housed in the "Business Audios" department.
Brown: "Why and how did you start this program?"
Moser: "Well, an injury forced me from a personal training career into a teaching career. In 2001, I began teaching in Fairfax County (VA), but had limited experience in teaching sports, but plenty of experience in teaching fitness. So, I integrated fitness into the PE curriculum, and eventually began an after-school fitness-related program for 7th and 8th graders. The after school activity drew over 100 students each week; the success of this program motivated me to create FF4K. In 2005, FF4K became incorporated and applied for non-profit status. After waiting 13 months, FF4K became a non-profit organization! Our first program was implemented at Oak View Elementary in Fairfax, and we successfully served 42 enthusiastic 4th -- 6th graders. Currently, FF4K is implemented in 8 schools throughout VA, MD, and PA and has served over 2000 kids to date!"
Brown: "How does your program make money? What about funding, and what other options have you explored?"
Moser: "Well, the first few years of any new business, especially and non-profit, is not very prosperous. Most of the money that is raised or donated is put right back into the program. However, our instructors are paid very well, which is important to getting and keeping quality staff. So far, FF4K has received 5 grant awards ranging from $2,500 $25,000, and has used that money to expand its program and offer summer camps. We
also provide instructor training, purchase portable fitness equipment, offer nutritional tips, and distribute healthy snacks to each participant. As Executive Director of FF4K, I try to submit 4-5 grant proposals a month. We also hold an annual fundraiser called "Fit Families Festival", which encourages families to exercise together. This is in addition to community donations and program sponsors.
BONUS: This next question is not included in the audio, but was a written answer Denise submitted to me:
Brown: "If you could do anything over again, what would it be?"
Moser: "I would [from the beginning] put together a solid team of enthusiastic, hardworking individuals who would be as excited and motivated as I was to make FF4K a success. I found that most of my friends and colleagues backed out when the work got hard. A lot of people were talkers, but not do-ers. So, when it was time to solicit sponsors and donors or write grants, no one had the time or interest, but when I received grant money they wanted to become instructors. What I thought was a strong team of 810 turned out to be a strong team of one -- me! If I were to do it over, I'd look beyond my circle of friends and colleagues and affiliate with community members who were willing to put in the time and effort. I'd also contract a non-profit consultant or advisor to give me advice along the way. So, even though I learned the hard way, I did in fact learn a lot through this process, and I feel very confident in every aspect of running a successful business!"
In the full audio interview (below), Denise also shared with us the answers to the following questions:
"How have you been able to create partnerships? Can you take our listeners through your experiences working within the school system?"
"What have been your biggest successes with this program?"
"What have been your biggest trials?"
"Finally, what would be your advice for a youth fitness specialist who is interested in starting an after school fitness program for kids?"
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