A reward that ROKs

ROK Health & Fitness celebrates 5 years in East Rockaway by giving back to members

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ROK Health & Fitness owners Robert D’Urso, left, and Mike Hawksby decided to give back to their members in  the form of rebate checks while celebrating their gym’s fifth anniversary.
ROK Health & Fitness owners Robert D’Urso, left, and Mike Hawksby decided to give back to their members in the form of rebate checks while celebrating their gym’s fifth anniversary.
Mike Smollins/Herald

In celebrating five years in business, the owners of ROK Health & Fitness have decided to give back to all of their past and present members. Co-owners Michael Hawksby and Robert D’Urso sent rebate checks valued at $117.60 to current and former members that they can use in the club to purchase membership and personal training within the facility.

“We felt that it’s a better way to reward our members and to bring some former members back,” Hawksby said. “In the way of, let’s give the money right to them … We feel that a loyalty-based rewards system is what we’re all about — is what ROK is all about.”

ROK has been a part of the East Rockaway community since opening its doors in January 2012. Since the start, the owners have done all they can to give back to the community. In 2014, they purchased a $16,000 state-of-the-art wheelchair for Army Rangers veteran Chris Levi, who lost both of his legs at age 26 in 2008 when the Humvee he was driving in was bombed in Iraq.

The gym was also a place for local residents to turn to after their homes were damaged by Hurricane Sandy. “I think what added to the uniqueness of this becoming the community health club, they opened up the door to people who didn’t have homes to shower in,” said Christine Kiourtsis, a trainer at ROK. “This just became the place.”

D’Urso said that part of the reason ROK is running the promotion is because many people don’t treat health as a priority. He said as an owner of the gym, he’s hoping to help people change their lives and get the results they are looking for.

Hawksby said that ROK is also going to roll out a 10 percent member loyalty rewards program, the details of which can be learned by asking the front desk.

ROK Health & Fitness is located at 510 Ocean Ave. in East Rockaway. It is open Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“ROK was founded on being a family gym, a neighborhood gym, a community gym,” D’Urso said. “What better way to give back to those people and reward their loyalty for being with us for five years — or even having been here for part of those five years for us — than to bring them back home.”

For a free month, email freemonth@rokny.com.