What started as a handful of donation-based spin classes at DEFINE Oakley in Cincinnati has grown into an international event spanning more than 230 gyms across the United States and Canada, all built from one woman's grief over losing her brother to suicide in 2012. Kelli Wall founded Fitness For Hope in his memory, and this weekend gyms nationwide will hold classes where attendees donate instead of paying a normal class fee.
Wall's brother, Justin, fought depression for many years before he died by suicide in 2012, according to WKRC. She described her brother as funny, passionate, sports-loving, animal-loving and kind. Wall began hosting local donation spin classes at DEFINE Oakley in his memory, and the station reports she started the event four years before its report was published, eventually formalizing it into what is now known as Fitness For Hope.
Wall practices at DEFINE Oakley and told the outlet fitness was important to her own healing after Justin's death. She said she wanted to honor his memory at her home gym, and now hopes the event reminds people facing mental health struggles that support is available. She has also credited social-media outreach with helping the event grow well beyond its Cincinnati roots.
From 32 Studios to an International Movement
Fitness For Hope officially launched in August 2023, drawing 32 Tri-State fitness studios and raising more than $11,000 for suicide prevention in its first year, according to the Fitness For Hope website. By September 2025, the effort had expanded into an international movement with more than 250 participating studios and gyms hosting over 400 donation-based classes across the U.S. and Canada. The station's report this weekend puts the current participant count at more than 230 gyms across both countries, with Fitness For Hope classes scheduled for Friday, September 11.
DEFINE Oakley will offer four Fitness For Hope classes Saturday, September 12, and per WKRC, they will be free, with the studio encouraging donations to the charity chosen by each participant. Jill Fishburn, who owns DEFINE Oakley, said the gym community can support people physically, mentally and emotionally. She added that gym attendance helps people who are struggling feel connected and needed.
Where the Donations Go
Participating venues can donate to a charity of their choice, and per the Fitness For Hope organization, participating studios direct 100% of event proceeds to the national partner American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, local nonprofits 1N5 and the Joe Burrow Foundation, or a local mental health organization of the studio's own choosing. The organization notes that 1N5 and the Joe Burrow Foundation were chosen as primary beneficiaries because of the movement's Cincinnati origins and local ties.
1N5, a Greater Cincinnati nonprofit and designated Fitness For Hope beneficiary, co-operates the Youth Council for Suicide Prevention, a high school leadership program originally created by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in 2013 to build mental health literacy, according to 1N5. The organization delivers evidence-informed mental health education across Greater Cincinnati schools and workplaces, meaning donations raised locally at studios like DEFINE Oakley can flow directly back into regional prevention programs.
The Numbers Behind the Cause
September is National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and the timing carries weight in Ohio. The state recorded 1,777 suicide deaths in 2023, a 1% decrease from 2022 and the first annual decline in three years, according to the Ohio Department of Health. Despite that slight dip, suicide remained the second leading cause of death among Ohioans aged 10 to 14 and 20 to 34. Men accounted for 1,441 of those 1,777 deaths, or more than 80% of the state's total, a disparity that has prompted state health agencies to launch targeted male suicide prevention initiatives across ten counties, including Hamilton County, according to 10TV WBNS. According to the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio recorded 1,777 suicide deaths in 2023, 20 fewer than in 2022. According to the Ohio Department of Health, suicide was the second leading cause of death among Ohioans ages 10-14 and 20-34 in 2023.
Nationally, provisional CDC mortality data analyzed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention showed 48,824 suicide deaths in 2024, a 2% age-adjusted rate decrease from 2023, with firearms remaining the leading mechanism, accounting for 57% of deaths. The federal 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline fielded roughly 19.1 million calls, texts and chats between its July 2022 launch and September 2025, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, with text contact volume climbing 260% over that span. A July 2026 study evaluated by The Pew Charitable Trusts found that suicide deaths among Americans aged 15 to 34 were 11% lower than projected between July 2022 and December 2024, translating to an estimated 4,372 lives saved following the Lifeline's rollout, with the sharpest reductions found in states with high 988 call usage.
Exercise as Part of the Fight
The medical case for events like Fitness For Hope has grown stronger. A systematic review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in February 2026 concluded that structured exercise, particularly supervised aerobic and group formats, reduced depression and anxiety symptoms on par with or exceeding traditional psychotherapy and medication, as reported by Medical Xpress. Researchers noted that group-based exercise carried added social contact benefits beyond the physical activity itself, a point that echoes what Wall and Fishburn have said about the role gyms can play for people who are struggling. The article also references a 2022 study available through the National Institutes of Health's PubMed Central in its discussion of perceived social support and mental-health outcomes. A 2025 network meta-analysis available through the National Institutes of Health's PubMed Central found that aerobic training significantly outperformed a control group in reducing depression.
Wall has said people who are struggling can ask for help, and Fitness For Hope invites gyms and fitness studios everywhere to host their own donation-based classes rather than requiring a formal partnership. Anyone in crisis can reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by call or text.
