GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker tour Blue’s Gym in Grand Rapids Wednesday to learn more about the facility.
Former world champion kickboxer Dino Newville created Blue’s to keep kids busy and out of trouble.
The gym, off Kalamazoo Avenue, offers different classes. It also has a learning center filled with books and computers that kids can use to study.
“I think, you know, maybe we see some kids that don’t have programming like this, so, you know, maybe there’s something we can do to try and get kids or at-risk kids in here earlier, so they’re not engaging in criminal behavior,” Becker explained. “Everybody kind of thinks that’s what we’re here for in terms of [the] prosecutor’s office, we just like to put people in jail, put people in detention and try and lock them up. Ideally, we don’t want that to happen. We would like kids to have the benefit of programming and be law-abiding citizens and…have a great life.”
Becker encourages Kent County community members with a passion to help drive programming like this to continue to help local youth.
“The violence in the community, especially with youth, is something that’s a community-wide problem, and I think there’s a lot of different places that are looking to help solve it. This is just one of them, you know, giving a place for kids to go to,” Becker added.
