Established in 2008 as part of a collaborative effort between USA Boxing coaches Nick Bellafatto and Alfonso De Lira, our mission is dual in that we focus our time and energy towards positively impacting the community by providing an after school amateur boxing and recreational fitness program for youth, as well as recreational boxing and fitness classes for the general public. Our after school competitive amateur boxing program represents a safe haven for youth and young adults and serves as an alternative to running the streets, experimenting with drugs or alcohol, joining gangs, or becoming involved in anti social activities, while our recreational boxing and mobile fitness programs serve to address public health concerns and quality of life issues as regards the local youth and adult population alike. One of our primary organizational goals is to reach out and target groups or individuals who would benefit most from our services such as youth or young adults from low income households, those with troubled backgrounds or a history of aggressive or anti social behavior, those who are overweight or physically inactive, youth who lack parental support, guidance, or motivation, and individuals with low self esteem.
We understand that youth are at a critical stage in their lives. By involving youngsters in a well structured, highly disciplined program that is fun and exciting we can make a difference and give them an opportunity to make better choices in life so as to avoid many of the pitfalls that confront them. Through our boxing and fitness programing we encourage participants to apply themselves and understand that the process by which they develop skills involve many of the same traits or characteristics that will lead to success in life. Qualities such as patience, commitment, determination, passion, desire, resilience, and an awareness and ability to make adjustments when necessary are all part of a recipe for success. We aim to instill in youth and young adults a sense of self worth and belonging and point out that in order to be successful one should not be afraid to fail. Its not about creating great boxers, but creating mentally strong, motivated, more accountable young men and women in order that they become an asset to their family, friends, and community.
Since forming Peninsula Boxing & Fitness, Nick Bellafatto who is a full time coach, and Alfonso De Lira, President of OTR Trasfer LLC, a trasport carrier, we have been joined in our efforts by several other supportive community members who have become corporate board members such as Jeanne Hamel, an officer of the Redwood City Probation Department, Kevin Brooks, Executive Vice President of Teris, a litigation support company, Richard Briggs, Director of Marketing at Electronic Arts Inc., Rene Trujillo and Cesar Zuniga, both District Recreation Coordinator’s for the Redwood City Parks and Recreation Department, as well as Kimberly Maas, an Institutional Grants Manager at Theatre Works, a non profit organization that brings performing arts to underprivileged children and families.
As board members and program supporters, we all share in the same vision which is to expand our services to all community members regardless of income level. We all agree that finance issues, or lack of awareness regarding our services should not be an obstacle to involvement in our program. By acquiring and maintaining tax exempt status, our organization is able to keep rates affordable, as well as offer free scholarships to those who cannot afford to pay for our services. We assist those in need with registration fee’s and/or medical examination costs, we provide necessary training equipment, and we finance tournament travel and/or accommodations for competitive athletes.
In addition to our onsite programming, Peninsula Boxing & Fitness also offers a mobile fitness training program to address the health concerns of children who are in after school care facilities offsite and cannot attend our location to participate in regular gym activities. Many of the children that participate in the offsite fitness programs do not have physical education programs in place at their schools or care facilities so that in fact we are their only source for recreational type activities. These children derive many of the same benefits afforded by our boxing program as we conduct structured fitness routines that fit these students schedule.
To promote academic success and scholastic achievement, we also feature an academic development program as part of our overall curriculum by offering tutoring services and home work guidance free of charge to students in need of assistance with school related work. Qualified tutors help encourage youth by providing that one on one instruction necessary to help some students excel, while covering a wide variety of subjects to include math, science, English, social studies, history, and more. Besides academic development we also bring in guidance counselors to steer youngsters in a positive direction, as well as motivational speakers and professionals to provide information regarding career opportunities.
To keep these services available and our operations up and running, we generate revenue from our program services, solicit donations and charitable contributions from individuals and organizations, as well as seek foundation, state, and federal grant money from various sources. In an effort to gain support for our cause and expose our services, board members and volunteers are out in force distributing literature and discussing program benefits with various community members such as local business owners, community center staff, police and probation department personnel, as well as social organizations such as drug treatment and youth guidance centers. It is with dedication, pride, and perseverance that our efforts to help make this community a better place to live will not be in vain.
