Thieves steal donations from Fitness Center
FORT MYERS, Fla.- For years, Fort Myers Fitness has set up a collection box at the gym's entrance. Members make Christmas possible for less fortunate children.
"I couldn't believe anyone would steal a bunch of Christmas toys," said Bryan Raymond, the owner.
Raymond is disgusted.
"The school that we're dealing with this year is on assisted lunch," he explained. "So, someone that would take something from a kid that's so needy, i have no respect for them at all."
Raymond says sometime overnight, thieves broke in.
"At 6:30 a.m., I get a call from one of my gym members that the door was unlocked and the key scanner had been torn off the gym," recalled Raymond.
About $500 worth of Huffy bikes are missing and a special raffle prize.
"Two pairs of signed Denver Nugget sneakers that were donated by the Denver Nuggets," he added.
Crooks broke into both his office and the back room. Also dismantling the surveillance system leaving little trace of the crime.
"It really upsets me because we have a really tight knit gym here, everybody knows everybody," said Raymond.
But although it's a setback.
"With the toys that we lost, yes, we're not going to be able to help out as many kids as we could," said Raymond.
He and members won't let it keep them from making the holidays better for even a few kids this year.
"I'm hoping that we get a good response and we get a good amount of toys by next Wednesday so to help out as many families as we can," concluded Raymond.
Fort Myers Fitness is asking anyone who can donate toys to please help. The deadline is by its Bench Press competition, which is Wednesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
And if you have any information about the crime, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780 TIPS.
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