Donna Casey, the membership and marketing team leader at the Corpus Christi Athletic Club, shows off one of the many workout rooms that have made the facility so popular it has been a local staple for 30 years. Photo by Suzanne Freeman
Working out at Corpus Christi Athletic Club benefits more than your body and mind. It also contributes millions of dollars to charitable organizations and medical research.
“We are not just a workout facility or gym,” said Donna Casey, the membership and marketing team leader. “We are a club and a nonprofit. Our members are like family.”
Owned by the Lichtenstein Foundation, CCAC is celebrating 30 years as a thriving business in the community. As a 501(3)(c), the club is operated by a board of directors and regularly donates to groups such as the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, the Women’s Shelter of South Texas, Driscoll Children’s Hospital, M.D. Anderson Hospital, the American Diabetes Association and the Texas State Aquarium. In the past 15 years, more than $3.8 million was donated to those groups and others. Also, more than $1 million was donated to Del Mar College for the construction of the Lichtenstein Early Learning Center, while another $1.5 million went to scholarships at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.
The Lichtenstein Foundation was formed after the death of Morris L. Lichtenstein, the original owner of the Corpus Christi Athletic Club. As a locally owned, community and family-oriented organization, the longevity of the club is matched by the long-term employees who run the day-to-day operation. Casey has worked at CCAC for almost 18 years. Before that, she was a club member.
The general manager has worked there in several capacities for 29 years, as has the maintenance director.
“This is a very family-oriented company,” Casey said. “You can start at one place working here and move up to another.”
Corpus Christi Athletic Club is the largest fitness facility in South Texas and is, in fact, one of the largest in the nation. Its 110,000 square feet includes two pools, multiple exercise rooms, a large gymnastics room, several kids’ activity rooms, racquet ball courts, tennis courts (the only indoor tennis courts in South Texas), an indoor walking and jogging track and more. A tour of the place is a workout by itself.
Members are introduced to the club with three personal trainer sessions aimed at designing a regimen to fit each individual’s needs. They can choose from more than 150 weekly exercise classes that range from step aerobics to barre classes to pilates to free weights and more. CCAC is one of the few facilities to offer Les Mills exercise classes as well.
“Fitness has changed a lot over the years,” Casey explained when asked about the depth and breadth of the programs offered. ”We do more one-on-one assessments to be sure everyone gets their needs met. Fitness used to be one size fits all.”
Also, with $10-a-month clubs opening “on every street corner,” Casey said, the athletic club makes a point to know its members by name and promote a family-friendly atmosphere with appropriate activities.
Which is why the Kids Club is an important part of the facility. With two rooms — one for babies and one for older kids — parents have no excuse for not scheduling regular workouts. Babies can be left (by reservation) for one hour, while bigger kids can spend two hours in the activity rooms, which include playscapes, arts and crafts and games, all supervised.
“Many of our parents bring their kids here, go work out and then take the kids swimming in the pool or walking around the indoor track afterwards,” Casey said.
She walks the track with her granddaughter on a regular basis. The 5-year-old also attends summer camp at CCAC.
For an extra fee, the club offers swimming lessons, gymnastics, one-on-one personal training and massage. Locker rental is also extra but inexpensive at about 75 cents a day.
Part of the reasonably priced monthly fee includes regular group activities designed to build camaraderie and community. Dates for movie nights in the pool, free popcorn and kids’ fun days in the parking lot dot the calendar posted at the front entrance.
“We can sell memberships all day, but if they don’t come in and use the facility and they are not comfortable — if this is not like their second home — then it doesn’t do anyone any good,” Casey said. “We want to make sure we are giving our members 100 percent of what they need to be successful.”
Corpus Christi Athletic Club is located at 2101 Airline at Holly in Corpus Christi. Call 361-992-7100 or visit corpuschristiathleticclub.com for information on how to join.
