CLEVELAND — Cleveland native John Calvillo reads the headlines daily.
“Six victims treated for gunshot wounds in under nine hours,” Calvillo said, scrolling through his phone. “Violent night in Cleveland, six hurt in four different shootings.”
Three years ago, Calvillo created the Dynasty Youth Program, an organization aimed at keeping Cleveland’s kids off the streets and out of harm’s way.
Calvillo knows the Cleveland streets he was raised on have only gotten more dangerous since he was a kid, which is why he felt the need to step in and make a difference.
“I tell the kids the streets are undefeated, you’re never going to beat the streets.” Cavillo said. "So our whole commitment is keeping these kids off the streets.”
Dynasty Youth Program works to keep youth off the streets with daily activities at the Estabrook Recreational Center, opening the doors free of charge to the center’s boxing and basketball facilities.
“When they come here, inside these walls, they’re safe,” Dynasty Youth Program co-founder Randy Barnes said. “Like it or not, a lot of the kids in the community don’t have your traditional family unit. There’s a need for just a little extra guidance.”
That guidance goes far beyond the court and ring. Dynasty Youth Program often organizes meet-and-greets with local police officers in an effort to build trust within the community.
“We either invest in our kids now, or we’re going to pay for them in the future,” Barnes said.
While the Estabrook site is Dynasty’s home base, Calvillo and Barnes say they want to expand the program to reach multiple sites throughout Cleveland.
"A lot of people tell me in the groups that we have, if you've saved one, you did your job. I don't like that," Calvillo said. "I want to save them all."
