PORTLAND, Ore. — A head coach at a Portland Orangetheory gym has been fired after his company confirmed he collected thousands of dollars from members in charity donations that he never gave to local nonprofits.
Honors Holdings, the franchisee for Orangetheory Slabtown, said it will donate $1,000 each to 17 different affected nonprofits to "make it right" after being "deeply disappointed" by the company's internal investigation findings.
Ryan Tong, the former head coach at Orangetheory Slabtown who had been suspended while the company investigated, led monthly charity classes for years and accepted donations to his personal Venmo account.
In now-deleted Instagram videos and posts on the studio's page, Tong promised to both match donations personally and get matching donations from corporations.
In one post, the studio claimed to have raised more than $500,000 for charities over the past few years.
Tong, previously known as "Coach RyRy" at the studio, is now accused of pocketing the money.
A KGW investigation revealed that at least 12 nonprofits never received donations from the Orangetheory classes, despite being the named beneficiaries.
In one case, a charity supporting families affected by cancer didn't receive about $2,500 in donations that were made in honor of a class member who died of cancer.
"Those of us that have been pursuing this feel a sense of relief that [Ryan Tong] has been fired because we knew something was shady for a very long time, said Daniel Borgen, a longtime Orangetheory member who donated during charity classes. "It feels like some amount of justice was served."
In an email sent to Orangetheory members on Monday morning, Honors Holdings said that Tong made "representations" that he would show that the donations were made, but he failed to do that.
The company said Tong lied about matching donations and the total amount of money raised was "grossly overstated," adding that "we know we have work to do to restore trust."
Based on Venmo screenshots sent to Honors Holdings from studio members, the company calculated about $12,000 in missing donations.
Borgen said that amount is likely an undercount, as Honors Holdings said it could only send emails asking for Venmo receipts to people who are opted in to Orangetheory emails, many past class members may not have known to share their donation history, and Venmo histories may not be accessible for all the previous years of charity classes.
"The total amount missing is probably a lot more than what’s been covered, but we appreciate the gesture that they made," Borgen said. "I think it probably goes much deeper than they were able to uncover but I also recognize they are limited in what they are able to do."
Portland Police told KGW that a criminal investigation into Ryan Tong is still ongoing. As of July 8, no charges have been filed in the case. Tong did not reply to KGW's previous requests for comment.
Leaders at multiple of the affected nonprofits told KGW on Monday that they had yet to hear about an incoming $1,000 donation from Honors Holdings, although they would look out for any notice in light of the email to Orangetheory members.
"Hopefully the money that they’re getting will help make a difference, hopefully we’ve also brought attention to all of their causes, and hopefully folks will feel inclined to give a little more themselves," Borgen said.
Honors Holdings told KGW in a statement that it has "reviewed and enhanced" its policies to ensure the integrity of fundraising activities.
The company declined to name the 17 nonprofit organizations that would be receiving $1,000 each. KGW previously confirmed that the following 12 organizations did not receive donations from Orangetheory Slabtown or Tong:
- Alzheimer's Association
- American Heart Association
- American Red Cross - Cascades Region
- Cascade AIDS Project
- Harrington Family Foundation
- Make-A-Wish
- Pants Off Racing
- Period
- Open Space Dance
- Oregon Humane Society
- Rose Haven
- The Cupcake Girl
Honors Holdings said it will give Orangetheory credit to studio members who showed proof of their charity class donations to Tong's Venmo account.
The company said if anyone donated in the past to Tong for the charity classes that has yet to come forward, they should email communications@honorsholdingsllc.com to provide documentation for reimbursement.
Borgen said the lessons that he and his friends learned about giving are still as relevant as ever.
"Make sure you’re donating directly to charities, don’t direct donations to people’s Venmo accounts, and if you think something is wrong, listen to your instincts and look into it because you’re often right," he said.