Frank Doyle navy veteran is close to the heart of Alicia Doyle.
The Kid Gloves Boxing Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, is presenting the First Annual Operation Get Fit, a fundraiser that will benefit Veterans and active duty military personnel.
Veterans can benefit emotionally as well as physically from a no-contact, boxing-style fitness regimen that helps release stress, according to Alicia Doyle, a Ventura resident and Two-Time Golden Gloves Champion who trained at Kid Gloves Boxing in the late 1990s when only a few hundred women were competing in this male dominated sport.
“This cause is close to my heart,” said Doyle, whose father, Frank Doyle, was a Navy veteran who passed away on September 21 at the age of 84. Her father, who earned his Master’s Degree in engineering on the G.I. Bill, was considered a brilliant rocket scientist who reaped many accomplishments – most notably approving the launch of the Cassini Satellite that studied Saturn and its moons.
“Our main objective with this effort is to get Veterans into the gym to release stress, frustration and anger, which helps diminish Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,” said Doyle, who serves on the Kid Gloves Boxing Foundation board of directors.
Veterans with PTSD are more likely than typical Americans to die of causes including suicide, according to Robert Ortiz, a Marine Veteran and founder of the Kid Gloves Boxing Foundation, which is the umbrella nonprofit organization for the Vet2Vet Veteran Education & Training Fitness Center in Simi Valley.
“Exercise in the form of a boxing workout can play an important role in helping Veterans with PTSD to recover and regain confidence,” Ortiz said. “It also has the added benefit of addressing many of the mental and physical health problems commonly associated with chronic PTSD, including cardiovascular disease and depression.”
Vet2Vet – Ortiz’s nonprofit peer networking group for Veterans, armed force members and families – also provides advocacy and support for Veterans by helping them apply for benefits they deserve.
“This helps Veterans avoid homelessness,” Ortiz said. “This fundraiser is not just about getting fit, but helping Veterans obtain the benefits they deserve because many of them don’t know the process of applying.”
In an effort to help these individuals, donations in the amount of $250 are being collected for Operation Get Fit. Each tax-deductible $250 donation will include the following:
● A gym bag filled with boxing gloves, hand wraps, towel, water bottle, and other necessities needed to work out
● Gym fees waived for the first month, with subsequent months discounted at $80 per month (reduced from $139 per month)
● Training with professional boxing coaches, including Robert Ortiz, a Marine veteran and founder of the Kid Gloves Boxing Foundation; and certified coaches with Rock Steady Boxing, which empowers people with Parkinson’s disease to fight back through a non-contact, boxing-style fitness regimen and emotional support
● Advocacy and support for Veterans who need assistance with obtaining military benefits
Donations can be made via check, Venmo or credit card. For more information, contact Robert Ortiz at 805-206-9403 or [email protected]; or Alicia Doyle at 818-817-1421; [email protected].
