Dear Friends of Lord’s Gym,
This past week, our hearts have been especially heavy.
One of the young men who had recently begun participating in our new boxing program tragically lost his life to gun violence. Several years ago, he attended our afterschool program. Although our time with him was brief, his life mattered deeply.
We grieve with his family, his friends, and our entire Price Hill community.
Moments like this remind us that behind every statistic is a son, a friend, a neighbor—a life created in the image of God, filled with God-given value and purpose.
As I serve as Interim Executive Director, I have been reminded in a very personal way why this ministry exists.
We are not here simply to run programs or keep a building open.
We are here to show up.
We are here because young people in our community face challenges no child or teenager should have to face alone.
Every day we open our doors to offer far more than athletics. We seek to provide caring mentors, authentic relationships, a safe place to belong, and the life-changing hope found in Jesus Christ.
We cannot undo this heartbreaking loss.
But we can continue to show up for the next young person who walks through our doors looking for hope, encouragement, direction, or simply someone who believes in them.
That is what faithful presence looks like.
It looks like opening the doors again tomorrow.
It looks like a coach who learns a young person’s name.
It looks like a mentor who listens.
It looks like a safe place to belong.
It looks like telling a young person, through our words and our actions, “Your life matters. You matter.”
Danny Gómez
Interim Executive Director
Lord’s Gym Ministries