“
W
ellsville” is a family television program produced by a
local organization, WellFit Inc. The award-winning family
show airs Saturday mornings at 8 a.m. on FOX 66 and is
written, cast and filmed entirely here in our area.
Well Fit Inc., is a 501c3 non-profit organization committed to
educating, entertaining and empowering children and their families to
L.E.A.P. – Learn, Embrace and Actively Practice optimal health in mind
and body.
The magic behind the “Wellsville” show is the two hosts and reallife dynamic husband-wife duo, Dr. Tony Snow and Kathy Iorio, who
founded Well Fit Inc. in 2002.
Dr. Snow is retired from the USAF Reserves with the rank of Colonel
after completing 21 years of service and has practiced medicine for
over 35 years. Currently, he is CEO of Community Health Net in Erie.
Community Health Net handles over 30,000 medical and 15,000 dental
visits per year.
Iorio spent 18 years as director of the Hamot Wellness Center and is
currently executive director of “Wellsville” and a co-executive director
and writer, in addition to being co-host, of the show.
“Children are now suffering so many illnesses that they didn’t used to
have. We have childhood obesity, diabetes presenting earlier and earlier,
hypertension and health difficulties brought on by these problems,” says
Dr. Snow.
Dr. Snow and Iorio made a decision to do something concrete to help
combat the growing issues. Their goal is to motivate people into being
physically active on a regular basis, to make healthy nutritional choices
and to learn to care for each other.
After starting the non-profit, the couple set to connecting with the
community through their program, Wellsville. Wellsville started with
an in-school health and physical activity program dubbed “Wellsville
Goes to School” and grew to include the 30-minute family show after
procuring sponsors to support the production.
They actively try to involve themselves in health fairs and Erie events
as well as offer resources on their website. Dr. Snow and Iorio have
received such positive feedback on their programs that they feel they are
making a real impact in people’s lives.
Dr. Snow says, “We
happened to be filming
one day and a mother
spontaneously came up
to us and talked about
how much she loved the
“Wellsville” show. She said,
‘Every Saturday we start
our day with Wellsville,’
and she ended up doing a
testimonial on camera. That
touched my heart and made
me feel, like maybe we are making a difference.”
Wellsville Goes to School hosts live assemblies in 12-15 schools,
including Fairview and Girard school district and reach 2,000 to 3,000
kids each year with a positive message of wellness.
Children participating in the Wellsville school program learn healthy
eating habits, good dental and personal hygiene, as well as manners. It
addresses bullying and teaches kids to be what Wellsville calls a “cool
dude” and not a “rude dude.”
“When they learn at a young age how to make healthy living choices,
they are more likely to adopt these habits as adults,” says Iorio who leads
the assemblies.
Well Fit Inc. trains high school
students to teach the Wellsville
school program to younger
kids. The mentoring program
teaches them leadership, builds
confidence and self-advocacy.
Wellsville works with teachers
to incorporate wellness into their
classroom curriculum. Wellsville
produced a DVD to be used in
schools as a tool for teachers to
engage kids in quick, fun physical
activities as well as quieting exercises to focus and calm the students.
Their goal is to get school districts across Pennsylvania and across
the country, not just in Fairview, to start using Wellsville by creating
teacher champions in the schools who can also teach and promote the
curriculum.
“We love teachers at Wellsville. They are the backbone of our
country and with our children every day,” said Iorio.
At the end of the school program there is a teacher tribute to
recognize their hard work and the kids get to see the teachers being
thanked and honored. n
“When [kids] learn at a young
age how to make healthy living
choices, they are more likely to
adopt these habits as adults.”
West County | Summer 2016 | icmags.com 33