Updates-Fall-Winter Lionhearts Ranch!
What an amazing journey we have been in. It includes great healing.

FOUR MONTHS. 30 ACRES. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES.

The Lionhearts Fitness Ranch — From Vision to Reality

June–October 2026 | Cohutta, Georgia

We didn’t just move. We planted roots.

In May 2026, Lionhearts Fitness began one of the most extraordinary chapters in our history. After years of serving children and families through our indoor fitness facility, we faced the challenge of relocating everything we had built.

What could have been the end of an era became the beginning of something much greater.

With the help of volunteers, businesses, families, athletes, and an extraordinary community, we began transforming 30 acres of natural Georgia countryside into the Lionhearts Fitness Ranch — an outdoor destination for youth fitness, mentorship, nature education, recreation, and community connection.

And look what we’ve accomplished in just four months!

THE FACTS: FOUR MONTHS OF PROGRESS

30 Acres of Opportunity

• Established our new outdoor home in northwest Georgia.
• Began developing a network of natural walking, hiking, and fitness trails.
• Created and named dedicated areas for outdoor learning, exploration, and recreation.
• Began planning a memorial garden, visitor areas, and future fitness facilities.
• Prioritized preserving the property’s natural beauty and existing trees.

Building the Infrastructure

• Cleared brush and prepared access roads while protecting established trees.
• Improved drainage and installed culverts.
• Began building natural roads using donated fill dirt, chert, and gravel.
• Coordinated equipment, materials, labor, and transportation through community partnerships.
• Began developing outdoor obstacle-training and activity areas.

Youth Programs Never Stopped

• Continued offering 100% FREE youth programming throughout our transition.
• Hosted our summer nature camps at Elsie Holmes Nature Park.
• Expanded opportunities for outdoor activities, mentoring, and family participation.
• Continued supporting youth participation in obstacle course racing.
• Began preparing additional Ranch-based activities, including teen gatherings and outdoor educational experiences.

A Living Classroom

• Explored the Ranch’s creek and discovered a remarkable variety of fish.
• Began developing youth fishing and aquatic education opportunities.
• Introduced McCarver’s Fishing Hut, a future center for hands-on learning.
• Developed educational materials about local fish, waterways, and freshwater biodiversity.
• Began integrating nature-based wellness, forest exploration, and environmental stewardship into our vision.

A Community That Builds Together

• Welcomed local business leaders and community groups for tours and gatherings.
• Received generous donations of materials, equipment use, services, and volunteer labor.
• Strengthened relationships with longtime sponsors while welcoming new supporters.
• Continued representing Lionhearts at obstacle course races and community events.
• Demonstrated what is possible when neighbors, businesses, and families work toward a shared purpose.

WHAT MAKES LIONHEARTS DIFFERENT?

100% FREE YOUTH PROGRAMS.

100% VOLUNTEER OPERATED.

A REGISTERED 501(c)(3) NONPROFIT.

CANDID PLATINUM TRANSPARENCY RECOGNITION.

Since 2018, Lionhearts Fitness has believed that every child deserves opportunities to grow stronger, build confidence, find mentors, discover their abilities, and experience belonging — regardless of family income.

The Ranch allows us to take that mission beyond the walls of a traditional fitness center.

Here, a child can conquer an obstacle, discover a fish in the creek, walk a woodland trail, learn a practical skill, plant something beautiful, or simply find a peaceful place to belong.

WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED

Four months ago, much of this was a dream.

Today, roads are taking shape, trails are opening, educational spaces are developing, and a community is helping us build something that will serve generations of children.

There is still tremendous work ahead. We need volunteers, partners, materials, financial support, and people who believe in what we’re creating.

But every donated load of gravel, every volunteer hour, every cleared trail, and every act of generosity brings us closer.

We aren’t simply building a Ranch. We’re building opportunities, relationships, memories, and futures.

Community serving the community, provided by the community to better our world.

WELCOME TO THE LIONHEARTS FITNESS RANCH.

Built by the community. Inspired by our children. Growing for generations to come.

We are in the NEXT Chapter!

 

Quick UPDATE 1/13/2025

Lionhearts Ranch is gorgeous in all seasons! Look at the SNOW! We could have had some great trail hikes. We were watching for flooding but the new tiles worked beautifully! The ground was wonderful.

Here is Luccketta and his little snowman.

Lionhearts Fitness Ranch: A New Chapter in Our Mission

Three years of vision, effort, and love have brought us to this exciting milestone: the Lionhearts Fitness Ranch, a 30-acre property purchased and donated by Tracy Luccketta.

Mentors Matter!

Professional athlete and Lionhearts mentor Rachel Watters donated the seed money that started it all.
Rachel is a mentor, a pro athlete, and an advisory member of Lionhearts Fitness.
In 2022 she held a fundraiser for Lionhearts. Her goal was to raise $10K for the mission.

She ran 105 miles, with over 500 obstacles, in 24 hours surpassing her goal, raising over $12K!

This achievement was in honor of her mother, Barbara Watters, who died in 2017 of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. Barbara was a school guidance counselor devoted to making a difference through her love and compassion for children.

We are honored to create a memorial garden at the ranch to celebrate Barbara’s legacy and those who inspire us to continue our mission. We have already scored out the location and memory marker!

The Land and Vision