Elgin nonproft wants to open boxing facility with focus on at-risk youth
An Elgin nonprofit is working to open a community fitness facility with boxing and mixed martial arts and a focus on attracting low-income, at-risk youths.
The effort has been a longtime dream for Marcus Banner, co-founder of the nonprofit Our Neighborhoods Empowered, which has been running a boxing program without a permanent home. Banner leads a team of about a dozen volunteers, mostly from Elgin, dedicated to the effort to open the facility at 24 Tyler Creek Plaza.
The group has raised $1,655 of its $20,000 goal on GoFundMe and has some funds in the bank, Banner said. His goal is to open by mid-August, he said. The city gave the initial OK last month.
"We've been in all different kinds of gyms, from Schaumburg to Huntley and all these different places training," Banner said. "But to be in our city and do it with our youth and be available to our city and the people in our city ..."
Anthony Barracks, Banner's nephew, is the founder of the nonprofit's boxing program, called "Hands Up, Guns Down." The goal is to promote positive change and show youths "the right way," Barracks said.
Boxing teaches discipline and helps young men and women stay out of trouble and gangs, said Eugene Dyker of Elgin, who will help teach classes. Dyker said he won a Golden Gloves title in the novice division in the early 1980s.
"You learn how to box and be a part of a group. Instead of the wrong kind of group, the right kind of group," he said.
Daniel "Donny" Villanueva of Elgin will teach mixed martial arts and Brazilian jiu jitsu. A boxing ring was donated by Luiz Claudio, owner of LCCT Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym in Schaumburg, where Villanueva is an instructor.
"A lot of kids, especially these days, are not big on going outside. They like to stay in and watch TV, play with their iPads and phone ... This teaches them to burn energy," Villanueva said.
The facility also will offer after-school programming in a technology area occupying less than 10 percent of the 8,450-square-foot property, which has been vacant for a few years.
It's all about making a change, said Vanessa Peterson, a real estate broker from Algonquin who will serve as executive director.
"This is for generations to come," she said. "We've all been struggling for too long, and since we've all came over the hurdles and made it, we want to give back to our community and make sure everyone is in the same boat."
Peterson said she's been working on securing donations, such as workout equipment from Lifetime Fitness in Algonquin, and is in talks to get computers from Elgin Area School District U-46.
The gym plans to charge a minimum membership, possibly $10 to $15 per month, and will have special pricing for veterans and scholarships for youths, Banner said. "We are not trying to get rich or make money off of people, but we want the community to support the facility, which is there to support the community and the kids," he said.
Patrick Stephen, a software engineer from Elgin, will be in charge of the computer lab. He especially wants to reach young people who don't have enough exposure to technology and the opportunities it provides, he said.
The group needs materials, including rubber floors, ceiling and ceramic tiles, paint, elongated toilets and more. For more information email mbanner3653@wowway.com.