Community Corner

Losing Weight To Benefit Soldier's Fund

Scarsdale's Fitness Together is kicking off Pounds for a Purpose this month to raise funds for Staff Sgt. Joseph D'Augustine's fund.

Folks in Scarsdale are losing weight for a cause. Fitness Together is kicking off Pounds For A Purpose–a campaign to drop the pounds and add donations to the Staff Sgt. Joseph D'Augustine Memorial Fund.

For every dollar folks drop at the Scarsdale studio, Fitness Together will donate $1 to a charity benefiting Marine Staff Sgt. Joseph D'Augustine, of Waldwick, N.J., who was killed in action in Afghanistan in March.

Fitness Together owners Steve Kopshaw and Lisa Petersen both live in Waldwick and decided to combine their goal of health and fitness with a charity.

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"We heard of the charity and it’s so close to us," Petersen said.

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The fitness instructor and owner's nephew was just deployed for the second time to Afghanistan.

"This is a great thing (helping) soldiers," she said. "Why not donate to the same fund?"

Petersen said the fitness studio is kicking off Pounds for a Purpose for the first time in their Scarsdale studio. The pair also own a studio on New Jersey. 

Fitness Together is also accepting monetary donations from the public and will be matching donations, as well.

"Whatever someone wants to do or can do," Petersen said. “We’re not talking a ton of money but it’s something.”

The studio, which has about 100 clients, does one-on-one and small group fitness.

For more information on joining Pounds for a Purpose, or to make a monetary donation, contact Lisa Petersen at or visit http://www.ssjdmf.com/


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