My name is Matt Ferry, and I'm a math teacher, athletics coach, and activities coordinator at Fridley Middle School. I started a youth weightlifting program at the middle school 8 years ago and have experienced a tremendous amount of success with the program. Our program aims to promote general wellness through exercise as well as enhance athletic performance.

Our equipment is very old, and some of the essentials need to be replaced so we can provide the best experience we can for our student-athletes. I have a goal of raising $30,000 in order to replace the squat racks and additional equipment in our middle school gym.