Beat the Streets Providence Wrestling 2019 IMPACT REPORT About Us Board of Directors From Our Team This evolved into hosting club programming at a Joe Mocco Silas Murray Beat the Streets Providence is Jennifer Wood Board Chair Director of Wresting & Mentoring a 501(c)(3) organization whose Beat the Streets Providence High School and Moses Brown. I also coached and mission is to develop the full worked at Nathanael Greene from 2016-2018. I took potential of the urban youth Nathan Myers on a position as an AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer Kevin McCarthy Hello, my name is Silas Murray. I grew up in In Service to America) from 2017-2018 through the and to strengthen the culture of Treasurer Brentwood, New York and moved on to graduate Swearer Center at Brown University. Since my role Providence wrestling. from Rhode Island College with a degree in Youth with VISTA, I have been the Program Director of Beat Development. I am fortunate to say I have what I the Streets Providence. Growing up in Brentwood, Steven Keith Craig Powell Secretary would call my “dream job”. I have been involved with I faced unequal opportunities, experienced wrestling since childhood. To be able to continue hardship, and overcame constant struggles. I know • 120 hours of academic working within the sport that has changed my life, from my own experiences that when you enter a enrichment and tutoring Billy Watterson Gregory Fine is truly impactful. I am passionate about coaching, wrestling family we share successes, losses, trials & hours over the October to mentoring, youth development, networking, and tribulations. When I create programs, systems and March season building our community. The work that is most opportunities; I put myself in the shoes of our youth. impactful is my role in directing and implementing • 28 hours of free programming a week program structure around coaching, mentoring and learn, experience and understand? Who should these systems. I began my career as a volunteer coach wrestlers build relationships & communicate with, to • Over 100 hours of practice for Beat The Streets in 2014, before moving up to a level up, and grow?! These are questions I invite you coaching position at DelSesto Middle School in 2015. • 115 hours of tournament opportunity By 2016, we launched our club wrestling program at support with our organization. Richard Muniz Maxwell Le May Davey Lopes Recreation Center. • 40+ hours of travel Executive AmeriCorps VISTA, throughout New England and beyond Director Impact Evaluation Coordinator • 30 hours of family enrichment Jacque Davis Director of Benjamin Giglio • 375+ students served Women’s Planning & • Service to 7 Providence Programming Analysis Intern public middle schools, 3 high schools, 3 community recreation centers, and 2 Silas Murray Director of Wrestling & Mentoring From Our Team On July 31, 2012, an article was released titled, is to give the opportunity of wrestling to all kids, as Police Academy; one joining the Marine Corps; while throughout the country tackling anywhere from 26.2 “Why Wrestlers Make the Best Employees”. This minimal or intensive as possible. the other outstanding 8 individuals are attending mi. to a 5k. Through all of this, we were able to raise a idea has been stated by several bosses, working colleges. We make it a priority to have notable professionals, trainers, and even Forbes. I want to The 2019-2020 year of programming will be one for guest speakers come visit our wrestlers. Our most This makes it clear that people genuinely believe in share a quote from the article that directly connects the history books. There was incredible success on highlighted participants have learned more about our cause! to our mentality... “In addition, wrestling is an our program during our middle school practice hours. individual sport and the athlete experiences both failure and success as an individual. As a result, the or setbacks. Wrestlers endure challenges head- Matos, President Pro Tempore Michael Correia and I would not be here today if it were not for my own wrestler endures more physical, emotional, and Mayor Jorge Elorza of Providence. These individuals family, mentors, coaches and other supporters who psychological stress, both positive and negative, than spoke of the importance of practice, hard work and have provided encouragement throughout my life. an athlete in another sport.” A wrestler’s mentality events, grants and programming contracts are consistency. This strongly impacts the structure within my work. is that once you wrestled everything else in life is crucial. Unfortunately, due to the Rhode Island State easy. The lifestyle of wrestling holds many hardships, takeover of the Providence Public School district, and the incredible youth we serve. Teamwork with challenges and pushing one’s limits. We have we came up short in expected funding. We’ve also mat was our approach towards distance wrestling served about 1,500 wrestlers from the conception experienced some unexpected expenditures that programming during this pandemic. We have so many moving pieces and unexpected turns each of the program in 2013. The term full-time wrestler day. We are living in a time with more questions than comes when you have committed to 25+ practices in state. We must look heavily towards our grants, Beat the Streets members through social media. your season. This past wrestling season 2019-2020 donors and fundraisers this coming year. This was known as the Million Minutes Challenge. we had 120 full-time wrestlers. Wrestlers are the Collectively, we’ve accumulated over 160,000 On the mat, we have made tremendous strides. minutes as a community. Our coaches, mentors, and important events, individuals in the spotlight, and most committed, dedicated, and hardest workers We were able to win the Rhode Island Kids humans you can employ and collaborate with. It is teachers have also provided an additional 30,000 Championship in the middle school division. 12 minutes of unpaid social-emotional support through impact on more youth that we could count. a no brainer that Beat the Streets Providence must of our 21 medals were gold and silver. We had continue to use wrestling as a vehicle for success. weekly, team meetings and wellness check-ins. We a tremendous showing at the state tournament have hosted 1,100 minutes of virtual workouts with Thank you for reading, supporting, donating, Having youth experience wrestling for as little as hosted by the Middle School Interscholastic League investing time and being part of our mission to one wrestling season is strongly impactful. I can known as RIPCOA. 4 of our 6 middle school teams a nationwide virtual marathon fundraiser to raise change the lives of Providence Student-Athletes! testify that I see these individuals undergo growth placed in the top 10, of 32 teams. We had 6 state in areas of great importance. Some examples of this awareness around our mission to positively impact champions and 22 All-State medalists. As for the High youth. Within this virtual event, we had 40 runners school students we support, 10 wrestlers became involvement in personal nutrition, change towards All State this year- one of which a state champion living a healthy lifestyle, stronger collaboration/being and achieving All New-England honors. All of these a member of a team, better sense of accountability, incredible individuals have wrestled though Beat the being responsible for oneself, and what the true Streets Providence middle school programs. meaning of hard work is! One of the best things about wrestling is its inclusivity. Anybody can participate and be successful who is willing to steps towards brighter futures. We have forty 8th commit themselves, overcome obstacles, and break grade graduates excited to go to their selected high through personal barriers of challenges. Being schools, with plans to wrestle in Providence. This is present for physical education recruitment, lunch our second graduating class, but also our largest- recruitment, and having an open enrollment, are all essential to the success of our program. Our goal individual is undecided; one joining the Providence Our Kids Joining Beat The Streets percentage of students has been proven to see the greatest gains in school while for the “ Providence was the best most part the rest, approximately 50% of Providence students, will leave school and be 375+ kids reached decision that I made in unsupervised from 3-6 pm. The loss of sport opportunity represents an important missed this program year opportunity to reengage failing students in school. Research has proven that student athletes my life. BTS has molded are more likely to attend school , feel more connected to school , report higher grades, me into the person that I experience better overall health , and are more likely graduate and attend college. am today and the person that I will continue to be. BTS has connected me with so many people and places that I would never have gone before. Besides the love for the sport, the coaches and the environment that they have created is what has kept me around BTS By Race By Gender from the organization. BTS has provided me with countless opportunities to grow, providing me with mentors and opening my eyes to how important school is.” Hamlet High School Student By Grade By Language Our Coaches Great coaches are the foundation of our 2019 Season Coaches Shawn’s BTS Story program. Without a great head and assistant • David Gonzalez, Nathanael Greene coach for all of our programs we cannot My journey started back in college when I decided to have successful teams that really make a • Nick Coppola, Nathanael Greene become a Youth Development major. I chose this major because I had a dream of starting Beat the Streets in Rhode • Victor Gonzalez, Nathanael Greene Island. A couple years later, a senior from Brown University • David Keith, DelSesto decided to use his senior project to create Beat the Street Providence.