Organización de Amigos: Using Fitness to Help Oregon’s At-Risk Youth
Inspiration struck Jessica Dudley years ago when she visited Hawaii and learned all about the Keala Foundation, an organization helping at-risk Hawaiian youth through CrossFit.
New to teaching, she was fascinated by the impact that this organization had on so many kids and was surprised to learn that outreach and support were administered through fitness. She was inspired to start a similar program back in her neck of the woods but needed time for the idea to develop.
In 2023, she founded Organización de Amigos, an after-school program in the Portland, OR, area that serves students of Title One schools.
[Related: The Best CrossFit Workouts for Beginners to Build Strength and Mental Toughness]
Some Background
After her trip to Hawaii, Dudley found encouragement in Nick Pappas, a CrossFit Level 3 Trainer and member of the CrossFit Kids Seminar Staff. He pushed her to pursue a CrossFit Level 1 certificate. He expressed to her the significance of teachers seeking out their L1s and the valuable carryover that those two professions — teaching and CrossFit coaching — had with one another.
She took his advice, received her L1 in 2022, and then left teaching to open an affiliate, but the program idea lived on in her mind. She realized that while after-school sports are ideal for some kids and families, they can be cost-prohibitive for others. She wanted to share fitness and community with anyone without any obstacles.
For two years, she offered free memberships at her gym to youth who couldn’t afford the cost.
Dudley explained that students with “high needs” (those with limited means, a high risk of dropping out of school, or struggling with academics) needed CrossFit the most, but they struggled to get to the box each day.
She then had the idea to bring the program to them.
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Organización de Amigos Begins
What emerged is the current model of Organización de Amigos: an after-school program held at multiple schools in Hillsboro and Beaverton, OR, where elementary students train CrossFit and compete against one another, coached by certified CrossFit coaches.
“We are building movement, but we’re also mentoring, instilling values, and building social and emotional maturity and strength,” Dudley tells Morning Chalk Up.
To pay for their equipment and coaches, the organization holds a yearly jog-a-thon, and the annual C4K competition in Hillsboro, where they raised $9,000 in 2023.
They host additional competitions and mini-fundraisers throughout the year and offer a monthly subscription program for donors. The funds raised not only go toward equipment and coaches’ salaries but also membership fees for some kids who attend local CrossFit gyms.
They have also applied for a CrossFit foundations credit, which allows them to receive up to $10,000 per school for equipment for the program.
“We’ve planted the seed, the garden is growing. We’re building connections with the community and we want to work with like-minded people who support fitness, CrossFit and overall mentorship,” Dudley says.
The Bottom Line
As Dudley has fully transitioned away from her teaching career and affiliate ownership to dedicate herself full-time to Amigos, she shares that they are doing their best to grow as quickly and as large as they can.
She emphasized that they need more CrossFit coaches willing to dedicate themselves to this endeavor and offer guidance and mentorship to those who need it most.
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Featured image: Jessica Dudley