November 23, 2009

Bryant University donations of equipment and $5,000 help Smithfield middle school open new fitness center

courtesy of University Relations

SMITHFIELD, R.I.  - Smithfield's Vincent J. Gallagher Middle School today celebrated the realization of a two-year dream with a ribbon-cutting ceremony that formally opened a new fitness center equipped with weight machines donated by Bryant University.  

The ceremony, held in the school's gymnasium, was attended by Gallagher's approximately 600 sixth- through eighth-graders, Gallagher teachers and administrators, and several town officials.

They all roared with appreciation when Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley surprised them with the announcement that Bryant would also donate $5,000 to the school to help maintain the equipment and create incentive programs to encourage fitness.

"We want you to develop lifetime habits of wellness," Machtley told the crowd. "The ability to exercise will help you live good and healthy lives."

How the fitness equipment wound up at Gallagher Middle School is a story of coincidence and perseverance.

As Principal Laurie E. Beauvais tells it, the school's physical education teachers approached her about two years ago with an idea for a room where they could teach health.

The idea quickly blossomed into a proposal for a fitness center and a grant proposal to fund the project. When the teachers learned that their grant request had been rejected, they turned to the Smithfield School Committee for financial assistance.

Enter Tim Brien, Bryant University's fitness coordinator and varsity strength coach. He had on his hands weight machines that, if new, would sell for about $25,000. Though in excellent shape, the equipment was 14 years old and was no longer used by Bryant athletes. Brien didn't want the equipment to be mothballed, so he telephoned a contact at Gallagher Middle School. Would they be interested in the equipment?

"Never say no when someone offers you free fitness equipment," Principal Beauvais laughingly told the audience.

A handful of Gallagher Middle School staff members spent four hours disassembling the equipment at Bryant, moving it, and reassembling the gear in its new home.

Robert O'Brien, superintendent of Smithfield's public schools, told the students at the ceremony that the teachers' perseverance sends an excellent message.

"They set a goal and didn't let anything stop them from achieving that goal," he said. But they didn't reach their goal alone, he said, and he praised Bryant University and the School Committee for their assistance.

Richard Iannitelli, chairman of the Smithfield School Committee, agreed. "Cooperation is what makes Smithfield a special place and Gallagher a special school," he told the audience.