WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The owner of Villa Boxing Club in south Wichita isn’t letting damage from last month’s severe weather stop his goal of catering to its customers and the community.
The gym is one of many businesses in Wichita that faced significant challenges after the storms. Strong winds ripped the roof off the building, allowing everything inside to get rained on.
However, a month later, with multiple repairs underway, and the setback has not deterred Jacob Villa from making a difference.
“I’m not going to let this control anything that happens for me stop me from training these kids,” he said. “These kids asked, ‘Hey, coach, we’d like to train like you trained when you were a kid.’ Now they’re getting a taste of that experience.”
Villa Boxing now hosts classes on the same lawn where the roof landed, teaching kids more than just boxing and imparting life skills and lessons.
“We pray over them, we show them what that looks like, we show them, ‘Hey, life isn’t easy. There are going to be struggles. There are going to be storms throughout your life. Don’t let that stop you, keep pushing forward,” said Villa.
He said there was no insurance on the building, but the owner has said they will pay for the repairs. Villa also explained that after seeing news coverage, local construction companies have offered their services, free of charge.
“You know, the building is a blessing in itself, but I believe the true blessing is the people who are praying for us, even now,” said Villa. “I’m thankful for that.”
Volunteers started restoration efforts on the gym on Friday night. Villa said he’s excited to continue connecting with his community, both inside and outside the gym.
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