Q&A with Jonas Serrano & Elana Margulies-Snyderman

Jonas Serrano:

Fitness has been part of my life since the day I was born. I was extremely fortunate to grow up in a household surrounded by fitness, inspired by my late father, a pioneer in the fitness industry since the early 1900s whose methods and style of training, which originated in Ponce, Puerto Rico, were passed down to me. I have employed them as a business owner of fitness facility Phyt NYC through training my clients and also to the populations we have served in our Phyt Cares program.

From an early age, I experienced firsthand the tremendous impact fitness can have in helping people deal with adversity and overcome obstacles. Hence, I launched Phyt Cares to fill this void and inspire people that regardless of their environment and surroundings, fitness plays a powerful role in helping people conquer challenges and become stronger.

As a proud Puerto Rican who grew up in the Bronx, I was inspired to give back to youth in similar communities to where I grew up through Phyt Cares. In addition, I wanted to set up Phyt PR, irrespective of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, so I could uplift my fellow Puerto Ricans on the Island given the challenges they have been facing and further, create employment.
Since our inception in 2013, we have touched the lives of hundreds of youth throughout New York City. Through our current partnership with Bronx-based ACACIA Network’s Youth Department of Corrections, we have provided fitness programs beginning in 2015 to dozens of 14-to-18-year-old men and been instrumental in keeping at-risk youth off the streets and preventing recidivism. We have also teamed up with the New York City Department of Education to provide after-school and Summer fitness programs to middle school and high school students.

Meanwhile, in Puerto Rico, following the Hurricanes, I am extremely proud to have created employment for numerous Puerto Ricans as well as fitness professionals on the Island. In addition, we have extended our mission to sponsor professional athletes so they could pursue their passion for sports and represent Puerto Rico on the worldwide stage. I also wanted to acknowledge these athletes have been instrumental in helping others achieve their fitness goals by working as fitness professionals at Phyt NYC's facility in San Juan. Finally, through Phyt PR, we are extremely honored to have formed a partnership with non-profit organization Gimnasio de Boxeo La Perla where our fitness programs have been instrumental in uplifting youth in La Perla neighborhood of San Juan.

Elana Margulies-Snyderman:

Our target audience for Phyt Cares is predominantly youth and communities where we can provide our fitness programs to the respective populations, whether we partner with schools, community centers or other non-profit organizations to incorporate them and we always tailor our programs to the specific needs of the individuals/groups we serve. When we launched five years ago, we teamed up with high school students from the Bronx initially, then provided a Summer program for youth and their parents throughout the five boroughs of New York City where our fitness programs were instrumental in enhancing strong family bonds. Also, through our current partnership with ACACIA Network, we have robust experience working with at-risk youth.

Regardless of location, we would be honored to work hand-in-hand with any organization so its participants can directly experience the power of Phyt Cares and our immense impact because fitness is vital to everyone’s life.

Jonas Serrano:

First and foremost, given many organizations we seek to partner with have limited resources available for funding a program like Phyt Cares, from Day 1, I decided that both my for-profit business Phyt NYC and I myself would fund our non-profit because I didn’t want lack of external support to hinder my ability in providing programs for participants and being instrumental in their lives. And second, just like the majority of non-profits, fundraising is one of the biggest challenges. The more funds we have, the more groups we can empower through our fitness programs.

Jonas Serrano:

As Founder and with my Co-Founder Elana, we are involved in all the components of what it takes to run a non-profit organization. For me, that is being involved in every single fitness program we have provided to our participants both in New York City and Puerto Rico; and also always taking an active role in their entire life outside our program, serving as a mentor, including keeping in touch with them on a regular basis, assisting them with job placements and much more.

Elana Margulies-Snyderman:

For me, that entails running the business and operations components of our organization, including spearheading fundraising events, writing progress reports and providing metrics to our donors of our impact, managing public relations/press and much more.

Jonas Serrano:

Through our work of Phyt Cares, we are changing the landscape in our industry because not only do our board members all take an active role to make a difference but we also empower our participants to be instrumental in uplifting their respective communities.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the great efforts of our Vice President Hugh Dugan, who has spearhead our partnership with Save the Dream NY, an organization whose mission is similar to ours, promoting sports amongst youth. Save the Dream NY will exclusively support our Phyt Cares programs.

Additionally, through our partnership with ACACIA, by their residents dismantling their gang affiliation, no longer engaging in substance abuse and not regressing to such actions, our programs have inspired them to lead the charge in making New York City a safer place. As we continue to increase our partnerships and spread our powerful impact even wider, we know future participants will be the driving forces in strengthening their respective communities.

Jonas Serrano:

Following the immediate impact Phyt Cares had in a short amount of time, I am extremely fortunate that many of my long-term hedge fund and finance clients from Phyt NYC have been our biggest supporters from early on, including Soros Fund Management, Falcon Edge Capital, Vectra Capital, Castle Hook Partners, and more.

Elana Margulies-Snyderman:

I also wanted to add that through my network of contacts, we are honored to have received substantial donations from family offices and various other financial services executives who have supported our cause. Following the Hurricanes in Puerto Rico, I spearheaded our inaugural fundraiser in November 2017 to support Phyt PR, and am fortunate that hundreds of my contacts came together and we raised over $15,000 at our first big event to support youth and communities in Puerto Rico. We look forward to making that even better this year.
I also wanted to personally acknowledge the women in finance in New York City who have been instrumental to our fundraising success including Phyt Cares' Co-Heads of Strategic Partnerships, Karina Fin Meindl and Yaffa Holmes. In addition, the annual International Women's Day self-defense/workout event I have organized to raise money for Phyt Cares has demonstrated the commitment from women in New York City to our cause. That as well, we look forward to making stronger in the future years.

Jonas Serrano:

We are honored for anyone to support our cause and extremely grateful for every donation. For us, every single dollar makes a difference so we can continue to enhance our great work, including making our existing partnerships even stronger by adding more fitness programs and special events to the curriculum. Also, with additional capital, we would be able to strike new alliances with other groups to impact even more people wherever they are located and uplift their communities.

Elana Margulies-Snyderman:

Phyt Cares' mission of educating youth and communities through fitness, not only inspires participants to live an active and healthy lifestyle but on a deeper level, we also empower them to tap into themselves as people and show them they can overcome life's challenges and achieve greatness. Through our program, they will understand the powerful mind-body connection and further, we teach them important life skills including discipline, self-respect, respect for authority, leadership and team-building. Ultimately, we strive for our participants to use training as a conduit to strengthen their minds, boost their self-esteem and spread this positive energy to others around them.

Jonas Serrano:

There are endless possibilities for Phyt Cares so we can continue our great work and touch the lives of more groups through our programs. But looking ahead, in the next two years, I hope to launch another Phyt NYC and our Phyt Cares program in a third location where we will embrace the struggles faced by that community. By inspiring that population to overcome them, through our fitness initiative, we will be the driving force to help them rebuild to become even stronger and show them they have the power to achieve greatness.