Coffey and company pumped up for another year of CrossFit For A Cause in Wilmette this Saturday, July 24

Talk about uplifting. 

Dozens of local fitness enthusiasts will gather at CrossFit Wilmette on Saturday, July 24, to pump iron while raising thousands of dollars for a local Big Brothers Big Sisters. 

Toby Coffey, who is a board member for BBBS of Metropolitan Chicago, has been leading the event, CrossFit For A Cause, for five years and has set the 2021 fundraising goal higher than ever. 

“Five years later we’re close to raising $20,000,” Coffey said. “That supports a heck of a lot of kids.”

The metro version of BBBS serves more than 2,000 children in Chicagoland, and Coffey said that number continues to climb. 

A handful of years ago, Coffey connected with his friend, Steve Woodall, of CrossFit Wilmette, to put on the event. 

CrossFit Wilmette has operated at 515 Green Bay Road for 10 years. CrossFit For A Cause is one of multiple fundraisers held at the facility.

Each year, CrossFit For A Cause attracts individuals and teams to participate in a competitive workout day, while raising funds for BBBS. Individuals must raise $250 and teams $750 to participate. 

The event has raised more than $50,000 since its inception and has totaled more than $12,000 this year. There is still time to join or donate, Coffey said.

The participants on Saturday will compete in three workouts: the combine, where individuals complete stations and compare results; a relay, where teams work through the stations; and a chipper, where teams of two to four must accomplish certain feats. 

Competitors will be doing everything from push ups and weight lifts to rope climbs and rowing. 

“It’s fun, a little competitive and mostly about the kids,” Coffey said. “It’s been awesome. … It’s a heck of a lot of fun. We’ll celebrate, turn the music loud and just have a great day.”

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