It’s been four hours since the last school bus pulled out of the lot and the janitor threw in his towel for the day.
But on Monday and Wednesday nights, there’s a light gleaming from the gym windows of the otherwise dark, Ward Melville High School.
So who’s inside?
It’s local families who come here twice a week for Stony Brook Hospital’s Fit Kids for Life program where they learn how... "To be healthy," Peter Morelli, co-director of Fit Kids for Life, said. "To truly be healthy not just with their body weight but their total body and wellness. Mind, body wellness, so that they’re more empowered and more comfortable with their body image."
We know the things that put a child at risk, as they get older, for heart disease and other health issues, yet we weren’t really able to address that with a treatment program. We kind of would always just make a verbal recommendation in an office setting and then have the person try to do these things on their own.
But talking, Morelli said, didn’t seem to be getting them or their patients anywhere, so in 1998, he and Martino founded the Fit Kids for Life program. Helping over one thousand children and their families so far.
Families like the Gottliebs, who live in Seldon, Long Island.
"My kids were apprehensive, so I was trying to convince them," Cindy Gottlieb said. "I said let’s go try it and if you don’t like it then we don’t have to go back. At least just try it and give it a shot. I had no idea what it was going to entail."
But they did go back… every week, missing only one session since joining a year ago.
"It’s not like every other gym. You don’t feel as though you have to do better than everyone," 15-year-old Samantha Gottlieb said. "It’s kind of like you’re a team and everyone’s there to support each other. So it’s kind of a good support system. You never feel awkward, and you’re always excited to go."
Sam also has a support system at home. Her younger sister, Erika, participates in the program and so does her mom.
"We really stress to the parents that at least one parent needs to be there," Sharon Martino, co-director of Fit Kids for Life said. "We know that the parents are the ones who are buying the groceries and putting the food in the home, so it’s really important that the parents are there as well."
For the Gottleibs, the Fit Kids program has been a life changing experience for everyone.
"I see a difference in both of my daughters in different ways," Cindy said. "When they come home and grab a snack after school, they’re a little bit more, well, they think a little bit more before they just grab something. And I can say ‘Hey, does somebody want to take a walk?’ And they’re into it a little bit more."
If you’re interested in joining the Fit Kids for Life program you can visit https://you.stonybrook.edu/fitfamilies/ or stop by Ward Melville High School at 6:30 pm Mondays and Wednesdays.
