Elevance Health Teams Up with the Impact Fitness Foundation to Support Irvington Preparatory Academy

INDIANAPOLIS (July 31, 2024) – Irvington Preparatory Academy today unveiled their first ever weight room and fitness space, provided by Elevance Health in partnership with the Impact Fitness Foundation (IFF), a national nonprofit that provides fitness resources to schools. The facility upgrade marks the third Indianapolis high school to receive a new fitness space in celebration of the Elevance Health Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, a pre-season collegiate basketball tournament that takes place in November.

At Elevance Health, the strategy to become a lifetime trusted health partner is fueled by their purpose to improve the health of humanity, and making an impact in schools advances their commitment to address equity and social justice. Prior to today, Irvington Preparatory Academy staff were required to drive students to a fitness facility that is open to the general public for their sports and physical education training.

“We are grateful to Elevance Health and Impact Fitness Foundation for making our dream of a weight room a reality. This high-quality weight room will provide our female athletes, along with our entire student body, with a new and important resource,” said Joanna Wiggins, CAA Irvington Community Schools Athletic Director. “Many have not had the opportunity to train in any weight room or health center before. Access to this space will allow our athletes to train and improve performance and will enable us to increase fitness course offerings for all students. We deeply appreciate the support of Elevance Health and Impact Fitness Foundation in making this possible for Raven Nation."

Volunteers from Elevance Health completely transformed a room used for storage and laundry into a state-of-the-art training facility, with new equipment and space for functional movement.

“In the most recent State of Play report, kids themselves point to sports and fitness as a way to improve their mental health, especially when it’s a good experience,” says Chris Welsh, Founder and President of the Impact Fitness Foundation. “Schools are in a unique position to support their students in this way, yet the importance of having dedicated fitness and movement spaces are rarely part of the conversation.  We are thrilled to partner with a company like Elevance Health that believes in whole health and is invested in supporting schools that don’t have the resources they need.”

Following the unveiling of the space, students and coaches took part in a training clinic with athletic trainers from IFF and Indiana Fever players to help orient them to their new facility.

“As an organization with deep roots in our communities, we are committed to advancing health equity both nationally and locally,” said Kyle Weber, Chief Strategy Officer at Elevance Health. “Health equity intersects with many circumstances, including where you live. By providing a fitness space, students will have increased access to resources needed to optimize their physical health and impact their mental health.”