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The Chelsea Cohen Fitness Academy will call the Carver Center home. Fairfield County Sports Commission executive director Tom Chiappetta made the announcement Tuesday at Carver, which also received a $2,500 grant from the FCSC for the second straight year. The Stamford Youth Foundation and the Cardinal Shehan Center of Bridgeport were also awarded grants.
"There's two parts why Carver makes the most sense,'' Chiappetta said about the Cohen Center. "One is we've already developed a partnership with Carver. The second reason is with Chelsea being from Norwalk, and all the that she stood for as an athlete and as a young lady, it makes the most sense. This is a building that hopefully people will understand her story. It's truly fitting that Carver is the first home for this."
The FCSC announced last summer it would create the fitness academy in recognition of Cohen, a former Norwalk High soccer star who died in 2006 after a courageous bout with a rare form of cancer. The Carver Center will provide the Cohen Academy periodic use of its facility for fitness programs. The Cohen Academy is collaborative effort to provide more awareness and education in providing underserved youth access to a active and healthy lifestyle. It is designed to help community members promote children's health and fight childhood obesity.
"We don't want to monopolize the facility, we realize there are a lot of programs already in place at Carver,'' Chiappetta said. "We're going to use as many places as we can. Having a home in Norwalk,, where we know we have a true partner, is a positive step. "
The FCSC is updating its website to promote the Academy programs. It will provide fitness tips, educational tools and information on programs available for youth.
The FCSC awarded grant money to the three agencies, all of which have been community resources that have enriched the lives of children in the towns they are located. The FCSC is a non-profit organization that is the one-stop resource for the sports community with the mission of promoting fitness and personal development through sports.
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