Major donor backs out of fitness center in honor of fallen deputy

GALAX, Va. – Work continues in one southwest Virginia community to create a fitness center in honor of a Carroll County deputy killed in the line of duty last year.

Curtis Bartlett died in a car crash in March 2017 while assisting with a police chase. Family and friends said he had a passion for fitness and inspiring others.

"Curtis's life was dedicated to fitness," said Justin Iroler, a principal with Galax City Public Schools. "He believed everyone needs to be physically fit." 

Bartlett graduated from Galax High School. Plans to create the Curtis Bartlett Memorial Fitness Center at the high school now face a big challenge after a $500,000 donation fell through. Organizers said the Lift Life Foundation, an Idaho-based non-profit, backed out of its commitment for funding new equipment and renovations.

"They had told us that the value they would contribute would be up to a half-million dollars," said Sam Bartlett, Curtis's father and the executive director of Police Fitness, a non-profit that aims to help law enforcement agencies establish a culture of well-being. 

The Lift Life Foundation serves students at underfunded high schools across the country by transforming their weight rooms into state-of-the-art facilities. Bartlett said the community was ecstatic at the initial news of such a large donation.

"It was announced at one of our football games where veterans and first responders all lined the field during halftime, and it was a really huge, exciting event for this community," Bartlett said.

He said they just recently learned the money wouldn't be coming.

"What ultimately happened is we were notified that there was no promise of funding for 2019, and it was January 2019 they were going to be investing in the Twin County community," Bartlett said. 

Bartlett said initial plans for the fitness center involved building a brand new, state-of-the-art facility at the high school. School leaders later decided to renovate an existing space, an old maintenance area at Galax Middle School, for the fitness center. Bartlett said Lift Life still remained committed to its donation despite the change.

Now school leaders and the community are continuing to move forward with plans for the center, and said it will have to be completed in phases with the loss of major funding.

This summer, school leaders are clearing equipment and supplies from the maintenance facility, and plan to move fitness equipment from the high school's existing weight room as part of phase one. Bartlett and Iroler said the current weight room is too small to meet the school and community's needs and needs higher ceilings and updated equipment.

"We'll get there eventually," Iroler said. "It just may take longer now that the money's not there." 

Organizers have raised more than $30,000 locally for the center, including through an American Ninja Warrior-style fundraising event in Galax earlier this year. Once finished, the fitness center will be open to the high school's students, veterans and first responders.

Bartlett said a donation of any amount can help them reach their goals.

"The good news is, we don’t need the half-million dollars, really a couple $100,000 will get us to where we need to go," Bartlett said.

Bartlett and Iroler said the community is resilient and will continue to work to make the Curtis Bartlett Memorial Fitness Center a reality.

"It is a setback, but sometimes I say a setback is just a set up for something great to come in the future," Sam Bartlett said.

10 News reached out to the Lift Life Foundation for a response, but have not heard back.