Pittsburg, PA
East Bay gym fights back from theft to make Christmas happen for kids
East Bay fitness center fights again from theft to make Christmas occur for teenagers
An East Bay boxing fitness center has fought again from a latest theft to placed on a Christmas Toy Drive that nearly by no means occurred.
PITTSBURG, Calif. – An East Bay boxing fitness center has fought again from a latest theft to placed on a Christmas toy drive that nearly by no means occurred.
A number of dozen households and youngsters have been gifted meals and toys Saturday at a Toy Drive placed on by The Lions Den in Pittsburg.
One child walked away with Scorching Wheels.
“I’m going to get a sizzling wheel monitor for Christmas, so I needed this,” stated Isaiah Guerra.
The toy drive was particular as a result of thieves almost stole it from the group.
On Monday, burglars broke in, leaving a crowbar behind as proof.
Surveillance video exhibits thieves taking off with a 50-pound secure that they had put inside a rubbish can.
Inside that secure was hundreds of {dollars} and reward playing cards that have been meant for use for a shock toy giveaway, which had been deliberate for final Thursday.
For the fitness center and its supporters, the theft was a punch within the intestine.
“For somebody to try this to them, it’s heartbreaking,” stated Grace Martino.
Burglars steal Christmas toy giveaway cash from Bay Space nonprofit
The motto on the Lion’s Den boxing fitness center in Pittsburg is “Eat or Get Ate,” a maxim to encourage younger individuals locally to work laborious in opposition to no matter challenges life brings.
Decided to maintain the Toy Drive alive, the fitness center fought again, utilizing trendy strategies, a GoFundMe web page and information protection.
Instantly, a flurry of donations began pouring in each toys and greater than $10,000, a lot to the delight of the fitness center proprietor who had a private purpose for not giving up.
“I come from a household the place there wasn’t all the time meals on the desk for us always, stated Cordell Pearson, proprietor of The Lion’s Den. “I keep in mind having to face in a majority of these traces to get toys once I was little. So, I all the time thought once I was youthful, if I ever bought ready to do the identical factor, that’s what I needed to do.”
With the clock ticking and Christmas simply days away, a staff started selecting up toy donations and hitting shops and made the toy drive occur.
“It’s positively a Christmas miracle. It’s positively a Christmas miracle. We’ve so many people who find themselves supporting proper now,” stated Lakesha Smith, a volunteer.
The Davis’ from San Pablo have been prime examples of that assist, giving generously once they heard that the fitness center wanted assist.
“We supplied a field filled with toys after which we introduced some extra again in the present day, we introduced again like three extra bins again in the present day,” stated Arlita Davis.
“It provides me pleasure to have the ability to assist the youngsters throughout a time of want,” stated Edward Davis.
The toy drive put a smile on a number of faces.
For the boxing fitness center, the theft was a brief knockdown, not a knockout.
As they train the youngsters, when one thing like that occurs, you must muster up grit and dedication to get again up and preserve preventing.
They lead by instance at The Lion’s Den and plan to do all of it once more subsequent 12 months.