Photo by Gene Blevins/Hogan Photos
This past Thursday, the Oscar De La Hoya Foundation kicked off the holiday season with a special gift to local boxing gyms in Los Angeles.
The foundation donated brand new Everlast boxing equipment, which included gloves, hand wraps, mouth gaurds, and even equipment for trainers to help mold their fighters into champions.
The gyms included the Magnifico Boxing Gym in South Gate, the Westside Boxing Club in Los Angeles, and the Ponce De Leon Boxing Gym in Montebello.
The donation was the focus of an event held at Israel Vasquez’s gym, Magnifico Boxing, where he accepted the donation on behalf of its members. Vasquez is a strong supporter of local amateur boxing and can often be seen taking fighters to amateur boxing shows in the area.
As a member of one of these gyms, it was a gesture that was greatly appreciated and needed.
Not having the right equipment or funds for an after school program can often be the barrier between a disillusioned teenager and a determined young adult who uses his or her boxing experience to achieve all goals in life.
The boxing experience can sometimes act as a rite of passage, allowing boys and girls to grow into young men and women.
A boxing gym can offer the kind of camaraderie and sense of meaning that teens mistakenly try to find in a gang or drug.
From my own experience, I can thank my local boxing gym for helping me become a better person.
Photo by Jose Saucedo/ Westside Boxing Club
Recently, through the Westside Boxing Club, I have been able to give back and help train some of the students in their after school programs. One of these programs actually included the Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter school in East Los Angeles.
The school it self had some equipment, but it was sometimes stolen and we would have to take hand wraps, jump ropes, and boxing gloves over there to teach the kids.
The donations are sure to help the other local boxing gyms who are in similar situations.
The experience reminded me how pivotal the experience between childhood and adulthood is. It also reminded me that being in the right environment during those years helps shape a young person’s approach to the world.
The Oscar De La Hoya Foundation got its start in 1995 and has since then helped to improve the environment De La Hoya grew up in.
The foundation is responsible for creating the Oscar De La Hoya Animo Charter School, the Oscar De La Hoya Children’s Medical Center, and the Cecilia Gonzalez de la Hoya Cancer Center, named after De La Hoya’s mother.
The foundation also holds an annual turkey giveaway which will likely be announced very soon.
