September 2016 # PYCCO

10/3/2016 (Permalink)

SERVPRO of Grand Junction with Stacy Antonucci, This months People You Can Count On!

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo.

When you go to grab the weights, you're not just working out your muscles, you're also working out your mind; giving yourself a feeling unlike any other.  For Stacy Antonucci she wanted everyone to know what that feeling is like.  "Your endorphins get let loose once you break a sweat," says Antonucci. "They come in not in the greatest of moods, not happy, and when they leave they are smiling."  Stacy's program 'Steppin' It Up' does exactly that, gives those with special needs the feeling of physical strength and mental strength.  "It's really amazing to watch them when they have been working for weeks on end to hit a certain goal, and then when they actually hit it, it's amazing," says Antonucci. "Every time a session ends I feel stronger watching them do what they do."  It started, just putting in those reps with just one client at the gym, but soon turned into 30 or 40 people. She wants everyone to know that no matter your physical or mental disability, you too can achieve any goal.  "We see somebody with, whether it's a physical or a mental disability, and we see them doing the things that we're doing and we take that for granted, that we can just do it without a thought," says Antonucci. "Just the pride that they have in themselves, the fact that they can do something that everybody else can do, it's huge for everybody."

Those in the program prove it every day. "A lot of improvement in my muscles," says Eric Blevens, a Steppin' It Up client. "Because when I joined Stacy's group, my muscles weren't quite that strong."

 "It doesn't matter what your fitness level is, she'll get you in shape and it's a great work out," says Chelsy Cronk, a Steppin' It Up client.

 Parents are also taking notice of how much this is helping their children.

 "Being healthy is a very important part of being a happy person," says Shaun Howe, a parent of one of Stacy's client. "Stacy makes it's so much fun that it's something

Hannah looks forward to, she does it twice a week and she never wants to miss. She just gets Hannah enthusiastic to go out and try things."

 So beyond, the clinks and the clangs of the machines, Stacy is always looking and listening for a smile or a laugh from those that she says, keep her going every day.

 "You have a bad day and you look at the people that are in this program and your bad day is nothing compare to their bad day," says Antonucci. "I just love it. I love them, and I have learned so much from them, they are amazing people. They're loving, kind, outgoing, and they want to do the things that everybody else does."

That's why SERVPRO of Grand Junction, News channel 5 and Housing Resources has selected Stacy Antonucci for this month’s People You Can Count On.