By Aiden Lorenzo
Cover photo: Crowds gather for ISF’s end-of-summer celebration (Credit – Aiden Lorenzo)
For the past decade, Inclusive Sports and Fitness (ISF) has been dedicated to helping children with special needs engage in activities that facilitate physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. One of the ways that people have been made aware of ISF is through their numerous fundraiser events, chief among them is their annual end-of-the-summer fundraiser at Kingston’s Clam Bar in West Sayville.
This year’s event was no different as many Town of Islip residents came out in droves to Kingston’s to have some good food and drinks, listen to live music provided by South Shore Local, engage in their raffle, and of course, help raise awareness for Inclusive Sports and Fitness.
When The Messenger asked Kingston’s owner Jeff Gagnon about hosting the fundraiser at his restaurant, he said, “Having Kingston’s as a venue for ISF is not only a great way for us to give away our remaining food and drink inventory for the season, but also it helps spread awareness about ISF’s cause, it gives local artists a great opportunity to get their music noticed, and it gives people a great excuse to come down, have fun and win some great raffle prizes.”
It also serves as a great send-off to the summer season with the date coinciding with both the first day of fall and also Kingston’s closing up shop for the season.
Of course, one thing that should be mentioned is Inclusive Sports and Fitness’ founder Alexander Lopez, an associate professor of occupational therapy at the New York Institute of Technology. He started ISF after working with a special needs individual named Joshua where he helped improve his motor skills thanks to golf. The Messenger had the opportunity to speak with Mr. Lopez about how beneficial ISF has been to the community
“It has been truly amazing seeing people from Sayville, Bayport, Oakdale, Bohemia, and Ronkonkoma all coming together to support ISF. A lot of people from this community who have come to our fundraisers get a great opportunity to learn about ISF, why it is so important, and how big of an impact it can have on not only the community but also on the people who are involved, whether it be one of our board members, one of our volunteer mentors, or one of the many children that we help,” said Lopez. It also helps that ISF’s board of directors include people who champion the idea of giving back to the community, including Islip Town Councilman John Lorenzo (C-West Sayville), Anthony Sanseviro and his wife, Andrea, Saul Zabell, JoAnn Gustafson, Nicole Boeckel, Pamela Lillienthal, and Kristen Aue.
Overall, ISF’s endless summer celebration is a great way to not only see a community come together, but it is also a great way to support and spread awareness for such a good cause. As someone who was and continues to be involved with ISF, I have seen firsthand the impact that it has on not only the community, but also on both the children they help and their families. Inclusive Sports and Fitness is located at 5004 Veterans Highway in Holbrook and if you are interested in learning more about ISF or if you would like to get involved, I highly encourage you to either visit the location or visit their website at inclusivesportsandfitness.org.