Any Body Can

In December 2018, ProtoStar made a $4,200 grant to the Any Body Can (“ABC”) Youth Foundation to enable it to purchase needed equipment, athletic gear, educational materials, and other assets to further its educational mission.

A.  ABC Youth Foundation

ABC Youth Foundation was founded on the premise that anyone facing such negative elements as drugs, gang violence, and crime could simply walk away.  As stated in its mission statement, anybody can “step off into life without cowardice but with courage and dignity” – hence its name “Any Body Can.”[1]

It was established in 1957 by Light Heavyweight Boxing Champion Archie Moore,[2] well before former First Lady Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign to drugs in the 1980s.  Mr. Moore began formulating the concept of ABC Youth Foundation when he was a youngster in reform school, after being caught stealing seven dollars from a streetcar and sentenced to three years there.  Mr. Moore subsequently met with three sitting U.S. Presidents, including President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and urged that the best way to deal with the drug epidemic, gang violence, and high crime rate was not through rehabilitation, but prevention.

His legacy is being continued through his son, Billy Moore, who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Diego Hall of Fame in February 2018.

ABC Youth Foundation is located in Stockton, California, one of the most economically and socially challenged neighborhoods in the southeastern portion of San Diego, with a disproportionately high rate of poverty, unemployment, and crime.  It is equipped with a gym and a regulation-size boxing ring.  It also has a Learning Center where students could study and receive academic assistance, as well as a library that is filled with books for all reading levels.

B.   Educational Programs

To help fill the large gap left behind by the public school system, ABC Youth Foundation offers after school boxing and tutoring programs to the youth in the neighborhood.  The three main programs are:  (1) ABC Youth After School Tutoring Program; (2) the “Mongoose” After School Boxing and Mentoring Program; and (3) Bridging the Gap Summer Program.

1.   Tutoring Program

The educational centerpiece of ABC Youth Foundation’s programs is its After School Tutoring Program.  It is what ABC Youth Foundation believes to be the key to not only keeping at-risk youth out of trouble, but also helping them to succeed at school and in life.

2.   “Mongoose” Boxing and Mentoring Program

The “Mongoose”[3] After School Boxing and Mentoring Program is the “hook” that brings young people from the community into ABC Youth Foundation’s programs, especially the Tutoring Program.  This program offers an attractive option for young people in the community, thereby providing them with a positive alternative to drugs, gang violence, and other criminal activities.

As its name suggests, the Boxing and Mentoring Program also mentors the youth in the program.  Mentorship facilitates not only intellectual learning, but also emotional growth.  The program seeks to produce not just boxing champions, but well-rounded individuals.  Students are taught to maintain focus and determination as they work with their peers and coaches.

3.   “Bridge the Gap” Summer Program

This 5-week, full-day program “bridges the gap” between the school year by offering students a safe and educational environment during the summer months.  It provides enrichment activities, field trips, and free lunches for the entire week.  The youth in the program spend their mornings in academic classes with particular emphasis in reading, math, and computer skills.  The afternoons are devoted to art, chess, African history, science activities, yoga, and sports, such as swimming at the Jackie Robinson YMCA and the Border View Family YMCA.

C.   ProtoStar’s Areas of Interest

This grant falls squarely within ProtoStar’s interest in:  (1) Children’s Education and Athletics; and (2) Social Justice.

[1] Archie Moore, generally regarded as a boxing legend, was the Light Heavyweight Champion of the world from December 1952 to May 1962, the longest reign of his weight class.  He won 185 of 219 recorded fights, with 131 of those victories by knockouts.

[2] The organization was previously known as “Any Boy Can Youth Foundation” and was subsequently changed to “Any Body Can Youth Foundation,” or simply “ABC Youth Foundation.”

[3] “Mongoose” or the “Old Mongoose” was Archie Moore’s nickname towards the latter part of his career.