Cops 4 Kids Lace Up and Sing Carols

On Dec. 6 the Cops 4 Kids & Communities of Colton held its first annual Christmas celebration at the American Legion Post 155 at 1401 Veterans Way in Colton. Head Coach Carlos Palomino and his wife Alicia headed up a festive celebration for the group with a large buffet, gift cards for each of the athletes and lots of Christmas caroling. Cops 4 Kids & Communities in Colton was launched in February and at this time boasts about 30 young men and women from ages 8 to 18 who participate in daily training to achieve boxing skills. Steven Ybarra, one of the assistant coaches, explained that the program calls for things that some young people are missing in their every day lives. “Our program specifics are geared to provide our athletes with structure and guidance,” said Ybarra, “besides gaining the training that comes with working out for boxing, we do grade checks and progress reports with the participants’ schools. If we find that the kids aren’t doing well, then we have them come to the gym and concentrate on their homework first. We want them to be productive members of society so we teach them values of education first.” Richard Acosta, another of the program’s assistant coaches at Colton, grew up boxing with Palomino and had worked with him at several other boxing clubs prior to joining him at Cops 4 Kids. Acosta has a 14-year-old son currently training at the facility located at 1589 Bordwell, Unit C in Colton. “After each training session we talk to the kids about different subjects so they can understand how life can be better for them with the way they treat themselves and others. One of the most important characteristics we teach is the instruction of self discipline. We like to keep our kids busy and off the streets so no one gets into trouble. And while we don’t have anyone participating in boxing competitions at this time, we are working towards the goal of doing just that in the future,” said Acosta. During the Christmas celebration, Palomino thanked his group of coaches and supporters. Mayor Richard De La Rosa came to greet the crowd along with Tony Soto, president of the Colton Pony League Baseball and a Colton community activist. San Bernardino City Police Captain Ron Garcia came out to show his support for Cops 4 Kids and delivered good news on the progress of his son, wounded San Bernardino police officer Gabe Garcia. Palomino introduced some of the law enforcement personnel who are training alongside the student athletes as well as announcing the Cops 4 Kids support for Colton's Relay for Life: The Anti-Cancer League team with team captain Kamila Rojas. As the evening progressed there was a surprise visit by Santa, along with Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, who stopped by to deliver gift cards to all the program's athletes. While each individual was called up to get their present, Christmas carols were played by a Santa’s helper in the form of a saxophone player. After the gift-giving ceremony the entire group of about 100 people sang a round of The Twelve Days of Christmas and everyone ended up laughing as each table tried to outdo the next for the loudest part. After a few more songs, Palomino thanked the American Legion for donating the room to Cops 4 Kids for the celebration, along with offering a grateful acknowledgement to Leno Moreno of Leno’s Ricos Tacos of Colton for providing the food for the event. If you would like more information on the Cops 4 Kids & Communities of Colton please contact Carlos Palomino at cops4kidsboxing@cs.com.