The owner of Middletown’s Bridge to Fitness, athletic facility at 951 Aquidneck Avenue accepts a dare to dress up as an elf all day on December 19th to raise contributions benefitting the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center Holiday drive.   Over $3,000 was raised for the MLK Jr. Center located at 20 Dr. Marcus F. Wheatland Boulevard Newport, RI.  Bridge to Fitness also held a toy and gift drive for the center donating hundreds of presents for children of all ages throughout Newport County.

“The Holiday Season should be a joyful time for everyone.  Given what Bridge to Fitness was doing with the toy and gift drive for Santa’s Workshop, I couldn’t resist the dare to dress up as an elf and further our donations to the Center,” stated Bridge to Fitness owner, Michael Cecchi. “The MLK Jr. Center provides so many essential things especially during the Holidays.  If we could add some whimsy and further donations, I thought why not make the effort and accept the dare,” Cecchi added.

“The donations are very much appreciated. They will help so many families in our communities,” said MLK Jr. Center’s Executive Director, Marilyn Warren.  “Bridge to Fitness came through in a big way and I applaud Michael Cecchi for dressing up as an elf,” she stated.

Founded in 2003, Bridge to Fitness provides a comprehensive health, nutrition & fitness training environment. The facility offers members weight, core and cardio training equipment covering multiple exercise disciplines either for individual training, one-on-one personal training or through participation in a variety of group aerobics & spinning classes. For more info on Bridge To Fitness, visit www.bridgetofitness.com.

Ryan Belmore is the Owner and Publisher of What'sUpNewp. Although not the founder or original owner, Belmore has been with What'sUpNewp since its early beginnings in 2012.

Belmore was born in Providence, Rhode Island; grew up and graduated high school in Coventry, Rhode Island; and lived in Newport, Rhode Island for more than ten years. He currently serves as Vice President of the Board Of Directors for Fort Adams Trust and on the Board of Directors for Potter League For Animals.

He and his wife, Jen, as well as their two dogs (Aero and June), recently moved to Alexandria, Virginia. Belmore travels back and forth to Newport every couple of weeks to cover events, work on story ideas, to meet with What'sUpNewp's on-the-ground contributors, to visit friends, and to eat as much seafood as possible.

Belmore is a member of Local Independent Online News Publishers, Society of Professional Journalists, and the North American Snowsports Journalists Association.