Our Origin Story

The idea behind Fit 4 All NY originated with Charles DeFrancesco,  the owner of The Arena, a full service gym and strength and conditioning center in White Plains, NY.  As the  father of an autistic child, Antonio, Charles found that there were very few fitness programs available to differing populations. Charles understood the importance for children like his son exercising in a mainstream gym around his typical peerssoffer people of all ages and fitness levels access to a full service gym . This was the driving force behind the creation of Fit4 All Ny. 
Charles has a BS in Health and Wellness, and he has owned an education company, Fit and Functional Florida, for over 15 years. He is a certified personal trainer, and he has been the CEO of The Arena Fitness gym for the past 12 years. Charles is committed to making fitness accessible for special needs children. He believes exercise is essential not only for social interaction, but it has also been proven to increase cognitive skills as well. 

Charles has surrounded himself with partners and staff that share his passion. Carmine LaManna and Denise Groothuis partnered with Charles because they also believe that more services are needed for the special needs community. Carmine has had a well balanced career with a degree in Marketing Management and experience in the retail industry. His personal journey led him to get certified in fitness training and pursue his passion of helping others to achieve their fitness and health goals. He has specialized education focused on integrating behavior and socialization techniques into his exercise routines. Carmine is the managing partner and training manager for our program. Denise is a registered dietitian, a certified functional medicine practitioner, and a personal trainer. She believes that food and exercise dictate health and behavior, and her goal is to use food as medicine to help with physical and behavioral issues. Denise is the CFO and handles all daily operations.

Together with their team of trainers, Charles, Carmine and Denise work to build and strengthen Fit4 All Abilities for children of all ages and abilities. They want to teach children and their families the value, enjoyment, and life-long benefit of physical activity.