Community Outdoor Fitness

Play Equity to Advance Mental Health (sponsored by the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation)

San Gabriel Valley

Expand existing project, program, or initiative

Our facility was built during the emergency order of Covid 19. Subsequently that order has been removed. It has been brought to our attention that we need to achieve various building and safety standards to remain open.

We have an outdoor exercise facility that has an Astro turf area, weight training machines, batting cage and various forms of cardiovascular equipment. We built this facility during the duress of Covid 19 when we were allowed to exercise outside. This area has opened up an aspect of fitness we were not aware of until it was built and used. Its growth is ongoing. We are continually finding new uses for this facility. Some are for profit, we have overhead, much of the use is not for profit. We have let many different people use the facility and would like to see how much we can grow it and how many people we can help. Covid hit us hard, we were closed for many months. We are trying to heal from the challenges of covid and still meet the needs of the community. Assistance will be needed to keep this project alive and well.

I have dedicated my life to using fitness to help people and build community. We have been around for almost 30 years. We have never been extremely profitable, but we have had an impact on people and our community. In a time that is very challenging for people, exercise can be a life saver, literally. It is well known that fitness helps heart disease, diabetes, arthritis etc. What seems even more apparent is that it may be the last line of defense against depression and isolation. With suicide rates increasing, obesity increasing and aggressive behavior increasing, it seems that physical/mental health is more important than ever. We impact people on a daily basis and want to continue to reach out to those that need it.

We have direct communication with our participants and their families. We hear on a regular basis how much we have helped the lives of those that use our services. I was made aware of this grant from our City Mayor who said she would write a letter of recommendation if needed. She believes we are worthy of consideration for assistance. Our city council are all aware of our situation and want us to be successful in keeping and growing our facility. We help anyone who is willing to be involved. From little league participant to seniors and drug addicts we want to make a difference.