Marines equipping students with ‘training for everything’
When they aren’t fulfilling the duties of their job descriptions, four Marines and a civilian border patrol agent are running an amateur boxing club, where kids in the community can go for lessons on real-life issues and learn how to roll with the punches (literally).
Spearheaded by Staff Sergeant LaShaun Charles, No Mercy T.F.E. (Training for Everything) has trained and mentored about 50 kids ages 5-19 since the club started in May of this year.
The idea came together while Charles was volunteering at the Yuma County Juvenile Justice Center a few years ago. Moved by the interactions he had with the kids at the center and in the culinary classes he taught there, Charles wanted to offer hope to alternative students and redirect their destiny.
“I just wanted to do something to reach kids in the community before they get into that type of situation,” Charles said. “Some of them don’t have people in their lives to talk to about issues they’re facing. We’re giving them a family-like environment here.”
Just like the program’s origins, even the name conveys a message.
“It represents a relentless pursuit toward anything that’s positive, something you go after with ‘no mercy,’” Charles said.
Charles said the kids chose the ‘Training for Everything’ suffix because their coaches fuse valuable life lessons with fitness, empowering and preparing them for anything they may face in the future.
For parents like Samantha May and Claudia Sanders, their teenage daughters have grown in all sorts of ways through the club, from learning healthy ways to channel school day frustrations to overcoming fears and realizing that they’re capable of achieving greatness.
“This program is one of the best things my daughter could have done,” Sanders said. “It’s opened her eyes to all the possible things she can do and allowed her to see life in a different aspect because they’ve given her the tools to do that.”
May has a similar testimonial.
“One of the biggest takeaways for (our kids) is the realization that they aren’t alone, that there are other kids going through some of the same things,” she says. “It’s changing their mindsets in positive ways, and the work and effort they’re doing is shining in their everyday lives.”
Each training session begins with boxing, conditioning and going over the fundamentals and ends with a 30-45 minute talk. The conversation is open, honest and different each week, ranging from goals and challenges to dealing with anger, stress and emotional pain.
“It’s phenomenal to see kids come in here with zero experience and make drastic changes in physical, mental and even social aspects,” Charles said. “They’re improving their social skills and becoming more goal-oriented and making a difference in their community.”
Charles and his team of coaches host two training sessions on Saturday mornings at the Yuma Fight Academy. Training for 5-11 year olds runs from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., followed by the 12-19 age groups’ class that runs from 9 a.m. till noon.
To be accessible to any student who might benefit from it, the club is entirely free for all interested trainees. Equipment costs are covered by the coaches’ own resources and fundraising campaigns. One
of the program’s ongoing campaigns, “Buy 1, Donate 1,” gives supporters something tangible in return: a T-shirt bearing the club’s logo.
For $12, individuals can buy a T-shirt for themselves and donate a second T-shirt to a student in the program. The details, along with other news and events, can be found on No Mercy’s Facebook page, @ nomercytfe.
“Our only goal is to make a positive impact on their lives,” Charles said. “We hope to grow this program into an umbrella organization that can be expanded into many other communities.”
No Mercy is currently working toward becoming a nonprofit and is always open for new students and mentors to join. There’s no sign-up process; Charles says just show up and fill out a liability form.
“This program is a safe haven for all the boys and girls who go every Saturday,” Sanders said. “The coaches are there because they want to be and they want to give, not because they have to — and that’s priceless.”