LAMiTCA

SELMA -- Darryl Kirkland says many young people walk into his boxing gym with no higher aspirations than a career at Walmart or a convenience store.

Kirkland, 50, makes it his mission to get to know the kids and persuade them to raise the bar. Whether their new dream is to become a champion prizefighter or an engineer, he's behind them.

"We like to think that we're feeding their minds with more than the sport itself," he said. "A lot of the kids around here think that they couldn't make it to college."

Kirkland and his wife started the LAMiTCA, naming it using the first letters of the names of their parents. New to Selma, they could find no affordable activities for their own children.

In a town where about a third of the population is below the poverty line, they figured they weren't alone.

Free to every kid who signs up, the gym is open six days a week to get young people off the street and get them exercising. Several dozen come regularly, though the number grows in the summer. Kirkland is almost always there, demonstrating techniques in the ring, keeping kids on task and encouraging them to apply lessons learned in the ring to everyday life.

"You got to stay focused," he told a dozen or so teens after a workout last week.

The bond Kirkland forms with the kids is a major factor in the program's success, supporters say.

"He's really concerned about their development and concerned about their habits and healthy choices they can make," said the Rev. Manfred Isom, pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church, which housed LAMiTCA programs in the group's early days. "It has really blessed our community in a very powerful way."

Kirkland's program is the rare youth activity that allows participants over 18. "They are almost left out because of their age," Kirkland said.

Giving back

In many respects, Kirkland says, his own youth mirrors the lives of those he mentors now. The only child of a single mom, Kirkland says he grew up in the rough neighborhoods of New Jersey. Though he never did jail time, he had his share of trouble, he said. He has been the target of bullets.

"I had a lot of fights in the streets - fights that didn't need to happen," Kirkland said.

But at age 21, he started training at the Second Street Gym in Plainfield, N.J., a free boxing program in an old school. Even before he got good at the sport, the other young men he met on the streets started to look at him differently, Kirkland said.

"I liked the respect level," he said. "They didn't consider me as a weak individual."

Kirkland said he had some success on the amateur boxing circuit, but eventually the sport took a back seat to jobs that could pay the bills.

Kirkland's friend since childhood, Eddie Wilson, said he's not surprised to see Kirkland offering kids the same experience. "I see a lot of his upbringing in what he's doing now," Wilson said. "With his overall personality, he's just a magnet to kids."

Wilson said he saw that first-hand when he visited Kirkland's boxing gym. His friend let him jump in the ring but told him not to throw a punch at his young opponent. "The first thing he told me was don't hit back - I'm trying to build his confidence up," Wilson said.

Success stories

While Kirkland has trained several young fighters who've had success on the amateur and professional levels, those aren't the first stories he tells when asked about LAMiTCA.

Instead, he tells visitors about Alejandro Sanchez, who entered the program overweight and has since lost more than 30 pounds. He still comes almost every day.

"He also was not thinking he was able to go to college," Kirkland said. "He now believes he wants to be an engineer or an architect."

The gym has also attracted teens trying to get away from gangs, Kirkland said. Having a close-knit environment away from crime helps, he said.

"It's more of a family atmosphere," he said. "I want to create a haven for them."

Looking forward

While LAMiTCA has grown dramatically since it was founded, the organization still operates on a shoestring budget of about $20,000 a year.

Some of that comes from Kirkland's earnings working the night shift at the Sysco distribution center. As soon as the gym closes at 6 p.m., he heads into work until about 5 a.m., helping move and load trucks. He doesn't sleep much, but he says it doesn't affect his energy level at the gym.

"I just don't think about being tired," he said. "It's more than a job. I feel like I was sent to do this."

And he's hoping that as the boxing program grows, he can make coaching his full-time job and keep the gym open all day. "I wish I could get to a point where that's all I have to do," he said.

For that, LAMiTCA will need a lot more funding; for now, the Kirklands work for free and rely on private donations. Kirkland's wife, Deatha, spends time applying for grants in addition to her work leading the group's ballet and literacy programs. But Darryl Kirkland is confident they'll find more money.

"I've got a lot of faith - that's what got us this far," he said.