CLEVELAND — Friday afternoon, Beat the Streets Cleveland celebrated the groundbreaking for major renovations at its headquarters on Broadway Avenue in Cleveland.
The nonprofit uses wrestling as a pathway to reach young people, providing mentorship while teaching lessons in leadership, career development and becoming a positive force in the community.
Last month, the national organization hosted its enrichment camp and duals for the first time in Cleveland at Case Western Reserve University. More than 500 teens from across the country came together to compete, learn and build connections.
Demetrius Williams, executive director of Beat the Streets Cleveland, said updating the Cleveland facility will allow the organization to expand opportunities for K-12 students in the Slavic Village neighborhood and across the city.
“We’re going to be adding some classrooms, some office spaces, dedicated spaces for kids to learn, grow … tutoring, showers, locker rooms,” Williams said. “We’re creating a space that can be conducive for all the kids in the community.”
JTL Construction said it's doing the work at cost and spoke at the ceremony about the important role wrestling and learning how to be a team player play in the lives of students.
Williams also said Beat the Streets Cleveland is launching a fundraiser to raise $1 million to support future building and maintenance needs, as well as establish an endowment to ensure youth programming can continue for many years to come.
“We’re working with kids as young as 5-years-old all the way up to seniors in high school, and we’re creating opportunities and increasing possibilities,” Williams said. “So yeah, on the wrestling mat you’re learning about resilience, how to bounce back from touch situations, but off the mat we’re teaching leadership, we’re teaching them financial literacy. We’re teaching them about opportunities to work with other people in the community. We’re teaching all the tangibles so they can be successful on the mat and off the mat now and in the future."
The renovations at Beat the Streets Cleveland are expected to be finished in November.
Damon Maloney is a Cuyahoga County and We Follow Through anchor at News 5 Cleveland. Follow him on X
