John Topper III says that like many high school graduates he didn't have clear goals or direction when he completed his high school years at Bedford High School in 1984. And like many grads, he did go onto college - spending five semesters at Lockhaven University. Also like many who start college, he left school prior to earning a degree to join the Air Force. "I didn't know what I wanted to do and the military helped me find that direction," he says. He spent 10 years in the Air Force - part of it going to school part-time to earn his personal trainer's certification. "My experiences in the Air Force helped me decide that I wanted health care as a career," he says.

After leaving the military, John returned to Bedford County in 2000 and began looking for work. He landed a job at the new ProCare facility in Snake Spring Township and today holds several positions - personal trainer, director of sports sciences and athletic director for the company's new Sportsplex complex. "I never thought a facility like this would exist in Bedford County, so I find it ironic that the career I always wanted would happen for me right here," John says.

As a personal trainer John works one-on-one with clients to help them attain their personal goals. "Working completely on your own can be like going somewhere without a map. We give you the map." He says motivation is a key for any physical transformation. "It requires a mental transformation - the answer lies within all of us." John is also excited by his other duties as the athletic director for the Sportsplex, a facility that includes playing courts for such team sports as volleyball, gymnastics indoor soccer and basketball. "This facility will allow kids and adults to have a place to participate in lots of activities, it should be a great boost to the community."

A boost for John was finishing his long-delayed college degree this year in Human Resources Management at Geneva College. "I began to feel that there was a void in my life by not having that degree," he says. "I knew that if I had a degree more doors would open for me. It's been a long road, and it just goes to show that when you set your mind to reach a goal and work hard it's possible to achieve anything."

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