Distinguished Women

Shirley Barberic

"In 1992 I was working as an Administrative Assistant for four years and realized I did not want to sit behind a desk anymore. So I resigned and went back to school."

Upon graduation from Niagara County Community College in 1994 with an A.A.S. degree in Physical Therapy, Shirley began working in a local Out-Patient Physical Therapy clinic.

In 1995 she was introduced to the Swiss Exercise Ball and has been teaching people the benefits of it ever since. Between 1996 and 1999 she developed and taught a Swiss ball exercise program for overweight children and teenagers.

In the summer of 2000 She began a relationship with our local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. Shirley became certified to teach the Arthritis Foundation Aquatic Program (AFAP) in June of 2000 and the P.A.C.E. program (People with arthritis can exercise) in May of 2001. Seeing the benefits that warm water exercise can provide and wanting to continue her education, she attended a workshop in July of 2001 presented by the Aquatic Therapy and Rehabilitation Institute. This was an Aquatic Rehabilitation workshop and "Ai Chi" Certification course. Ai Chi is a warm water relaxation program that uses diaphragmatic breathing and gentle movement to induce relaxation. "It is a remarkable program and I am proud to offer it to our community." Ai Chi is especially beneficial for people with arthritis and other chronic conditions.

In the summer of 2001 Shirley co-developed and began teaching a program called "Kids making Waves." This program was designed for a number of reasons…

• To provide children with arthritis a safe and fun place to exercise.
• To increase awareness of childhood arthritis and it's related problems.
• To incorporate a children's component to the National Arthritis Foundations Aquatic Program Certification. In doing so, some insurance companies may be more likely to pay for a portion of the class fees. Mrs. Barberic intends to work closely with our local chapter and the national arthritis foundation to see to it that these things are accomplished for the nearly 300,000 children nationwide that suffer from arthritis.

In May of 2002 our local chapter of the Arthritis Foundation nominated Shirley Barberic to participate in a pilot fundraising campaign called "HERO OF THE YEAR". Between herself and five other candidates they raised over $11,000 that will be used to increase awareness about childhood arthritis, promote children's exercise programs and help families deal with a diagnosis of childhood arthritis.

In January of 2002 Shirley started a company called "Healthy Outlooks." In starting this company it is her mission to help people of all ages at any stage in their life become dedicated to preserving their own health and wellness through the "Be S.A.F.E." program. Diaphragmatic Breathing, Strengthening, Ambulation, Flexibility and Endurance exercises are activities that need to be challenged every day. "In using this unique recipe for exercise, we can customize programs for virtually any age group."

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, there is always time for exercise. Find the time, enjoy the exercise.

For more information, please contact:
Shirley Barberic, Personal Exercise Instructor
Phone: (716) 832 - 1359
Email: sabar01@aol.com

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