Meet Isaac

This is Isaac’s story in his own words.

I really want to dedicate this to the kids at Double Punches Boxing Club.  Through my story I want to show that anything possible and it’s never too late.

Double Punches Boxing Club provides lots of help from staff members who really treat us like family and are there to give advice when needed.  I joined Double Punches Boxing Club when I was 12 years old.  I’m now 18 years old and am still part of the club.  It has always motivated me to do great things with my life, even now.

I was born in Santa Rosa and grew up with my three siblings.  I have two great, loving, and supporting parents.  Growing up I was always a shy nervous kids.  I had problems focusing on my schoolwork and didn’t really get involved in many activities. 

I was 12 years old when I started middle school and also became a member of Double Punches Boxing Club.  I would attend the boxing program Monday through Thursday.  A lot of things changed when I was in middle school.  I was still at the club but I kept my life situations to myself.  When I was about 13 I started getting involved in gangs but kept it a secret from my parents, even through high school. 

Then things started to go wrong in my life.  I wasn’t really sure what I wanted from my life.  I lost all hope in school and my future at only 15.  The only thing that kept me going is the boxing club.  I started training hard, I wanted to compete and dedicated myself to training every day.  I trained hard with my coach who was an inspiration to me since I first started boxing.  However, my first fight didn’t quite turn out as I had expected.  In the first round I slipped and fell.  The judges considered this a ‘TKO’ because my head hit the floor.  The loss was hard for me.  I didn’t know how to accept it so I stopped attending Double Punches. 

I went downhill from there.  I had an alcohol problem at only 15 years old as a sophomore in high school.  I wasn’t as close to my parents anymore either.  I started coming home late in the middle of the night and would ditch school to go hang out with my friends at the park.  I would always make up excuses to my parents about why I didn’t attend school. 

As time went on I continued with my involvement with gangs, disobeyed my parents, and wouldn’t show up on time for my commitments.  It came to the point where my dad was fed up with me.  We had a huge fight and I ran away from home. 

It wasn’t long before I got into trouble with the law.  The police would always pick me up for being in the streets.  They would label me a ‘gang banger’ and pull me over for any reason.  I came back to Double Punches Boxing Club but I was not as focused since I was scared for my life at that point.  I didn’t know where my life was heading.  My coaches kept talking to me, giving me advice that I needed to make a change.

Then reality hit me with a wake-up call when one of my friends died as the result of drive-by gang violence and then an arrest in August of 2015.  I was taken to Juvenile Hall.  I felt ashamed of what I had been putting my parents and around me through.

Finally, in his last year of high school Isaac was able to turn his life around.  He gave up the gang lifestyle and started back in the Double Punches gym. 

I started helping out at the gym any way I could, by cleaning up and as a junior coach helping the younger kids.  The younger kids were looking up to me.  It felt good to be seen as a role model.  My relationship with my family was improving.  I started to set goals for myself.  I wanted to graduate. 

Then in late March 2016 my life was shattered again when I found out that I didn’t have enough credits to graduate.  I dropped out of school for a month and stopped attending the gym.  I did nothing but stay home.  Everyone around me was concerned and worried for my future.  I was devastated that I wasn’t going to graduate with my class.

I didn't show up for school which violated my probation.  I was once again placed in Juvenile Hall where I made the choice to go back to school with electronic monitoring.  I was able to meet with my teacher and counselors to develop a plan to graduate.  The school offered summer courses as a way to make up for the coursework I missed.  I wasn’t content with that and began a stronger academic plan of taking courses online each day. 

Finally, one week before graduation, I received a call saying that I had the necessary credits and could graduate with my class.

I realized then that anything is possible if you really want it.  You just have to work hard for it.  As I received my diploma I realized that after everything I’ve been through I was the one who did it all by myself.  Of course I had support along the way from my family, my coaches, and my true friends but I was the only one who could do the work that needed to be done.

Along the way Richard Lopez, Double Punches director and coach, worked with Isaac’s parents to provide support in any way possible.  Richard often met with Isaac’s dad to help encourage Isaac to resolve his priorities.  Richard maintained contact and the entire Double Punches team continually prayed for Isaac. 

Five days a week, twelve months out of the year, The Salvation Army’s Double Punches Program in Santa Rosa works with the youth of our community to provide a safe and encouraging environment.  Many of these young people are being pressured to join local gangs, get involved with drugs and alcohol, or otherwise miss the opportunity to reach their full potential.  When you donate to a red kettle or ring a bell for The Salvation Army this Christmas, you are helping the youth of our community flourish physically, emotionally, and academically all year long.  You are a part of our mission Behind the Bell.