Meals & Love for the Eckert Family

The Eckert family has been a special part of my life and my gym community for many years. Over the past 12 years, I’ve had the privilege of working with Bob, Beth, and their daughter Elizabeth, and I currently have the joy of training both Beth and Elizabeth. I trained Bob for six years at the first gym where I worked, and during those years, he and I became good friends. I was a new trainer and still learning so much, and Bob was right there with me every step of the way. I’m not sure who was leading whom in those days, but we sure had the best time. Bob was 69 when we started training together, and his strength was off the charts. He was doing Turkish get-ups, kettlebell swings, weighted pull-ups, you name it. He did everything I asked him to do with no fear and the grit of a superhero. He trusted me, he loved to work hard, and very little could get in the way of him making it to the gym. Today, Bob’s strength and courage show up in a very different way. He is living with a rare, progressive neurological condition, and as his care needs have increased, Beth and their family have been navigating an incredibly challenging season together. The strength I saw in Bob all those years ago is still very much there, just in a different form. And the love he has for his family, and the love surrounding him, is beautiful. One of the things I value most about our Strength Sanctuary community is the way we show up for one another, not only inside the gym, but in life. Right now, I’d love for us to surround the Eckert family with some of that same love and support. I created this page as a simple way for our community to help take one thing off their plate. We’ll be providing dinner for Bob and Beth twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. You can prepare a meal, pick up something from a favorite restaurant, or arrange to have a meal delivered. There is absolutely no expectation that meals need to be homemade. The goal is simply to make life a little easier for them right now. Thank you for helping us care for a family that has been part of our community for so many years. Sometimes the simplest acts bringing a meal, taking one thing off someone’s plate, and reminding them that they are surrounded by people who care can mean so much. With love, Vanessa & the Strength Sanctuary Community