TORONTO — The Travel Agent Next Door has raised over $15,000 for a good cause just by staying fit.

The company has completed its eight-week FIT TRIP fitness challenge campaign, which saw over 350  of its agents participating in up to 50 different activities. Over 14,280 entries were made, recording 877,895 minutes of exercise by all agents combined.

Agents were encouraged to make a donation to Pencils for Kids, a charity that TTAND supports. For every $10 they donated, they also received an entry form to win a trip. The more they worked out, the more entries they received.

Participating agents donated $12,633, in addition to TTAND’s donation of $3,000, for a grand total of $15,633 to Pencils for Kids.

“During these very tough times in the industry it is easy to get stuck at home, so we wanted to come up with a fun and easy way to get moving again,” said Flemming Friisdahl, founder of The Travel Agent Next Door.

FIT TRIP was managed by Special Projects Manager Elish Tait and included several supplier partners, including Air Canada Vacations, AmaWaterways, Globus Vacations, Royal Caribbean, Star Clippers and Tourcan Vacations, all of which donated “amazing prizes to help make the challenge even more special for the agents,” adds Friisdahl.

Robin Mednick of Pencils for Kids was blown away by the generosity of TTAND agents.

“I would never have imagined that during these trying times we would even see a dollar coming our way, especially from an industry that has been one of the worst hit from COVID-19,” she says. “When you look at people like you, who are thinking of others in this time of need, it really puts my faith back into humanity. A huge thank you to each and every one of you.”