About Us.
The organization was created in 1989 by Founder and President, Vincent Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson is a U.S. Navy veteran, Brooklyn native, author, speaker, and certified personal trainer with the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). He has written two books on fitness, “Six Weeks to a Six Pack” and “Get Ready, Get Set, Get Fit, (A Guide to Developing Youth Fitness).”
In response to the alarming incidence of obesity among children age 5-18, in 2004, Body Sculpt of New York created the Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo. The Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo has three goals: 1) to be a mechanism that energizes an entire community 2) to foster the regular and consistent engagement in physical exercise and 3) to raise the awareness about the benefits
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of good nutrition and healthy eating. The long term goal of this program is to develop ongoing programs throughout New York City and to eventually replicate the project nationwide.
The Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo engages children in over 25 sports activities, nutrition clinics, health screenings and live entertainment – all totally free. Through this event, families gain exposure to activities, programs and services that will help them to become more physically fit, thereby reducing the risk of obesity in their lives. In March, 2008, the organization created the “Walk-A-Thon for Children’s Health” to engage parents and children in a 5k walk around Prospect Park to draw attention to the ongoing childhood obesity epidemic and raise funds for Body Sculpt of New York’s Children’s Sports & Fitness Expo.
Also, in 2008, the organization created the “Six Weeks to Fitness program”. The Six Weeks to Fitness program provides aerobic and nutrition instructors to companies, churches and schools to engage adults and children in fitness programs 3 days a week for six weeks. In 2010, Body Sculpt of New York created the “Six Weeks to Fitness Challenge” to encourage New Yorkers to eat healthy and exercise. The top 3 participants who lost the most weight and body fat won cash prizes up to $1,000 for their efforts.
In 2011 Body Sculpt of New York, through a federal grant issued to the Brooklyn Partnership to Drive Down Diabetes (BPD3), provides Six Weeks to Fitness classes to underserved populations throughout the borough of Brooklyn. Also, in 2011, through a federal grant issued to the New York State Office of Substance Abuse Services Access to Recovery program, Body Sculpt provides wellness programs for people in recovery. These services consist of exercise programs along with nutritional guidance. In 2012 through a grant from the Coca Cola Foundation, Body Sculpt of New York conducted its second “Six Weeks To Fitness Challenge” at Boys & Girls H.S. In 2013 Body Sculpt of New York along with the Brooklyn Nets basketball team formed a partnership called “Brooklyn Fit” to encourage children to eat healthy and exercise. Through the Brooklyn Fit partnership children have an opportunity to interact with Brooklyn Nets basketball players while participating in fun exercise activities.