CHINO - Danny Mendoza and his friends are using their skills as well as their hearts to promote fitness and inspire young people.
They have formed a nonprofit that puts together sports camps for foster children in Chino Valley and, ultimately, throughout the Inland Empire.
The nonprofit, called "Together We Rise," held a football workshop in January. Recently, it was awarded $12,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant funds from the Chino Hills City Council.
To date, the nonprofit has raised about $30,000 for its work, and, next year, hopes to raise $100,000 in order to expand to areas outside of Chino.
"It's all a bunch of people doing it for free and having a good time," Mendoza said.
"Foster kids don't get to have much contact with their parents and I am what I am because of my parents. So we're trying to influence them to do more exercise and physical fitness with sports. We're trying to reduce obesity rates and we're trying to inspire them to have a second chance."
For Mendoza, the quest to help foster children started in 2006, when he wanted to help out his 10-year-old cousin who had become homeless. But, because he was not 21 at the time, Mendoza was too young to become a guardian.
Mendoza said he wanted to help young people living without parents and who were unable to hang out with friends.
Mendoza logged onto the social-networking site Facebook and made phone calls to other young.
people who were willing to contribute their time to better the lives of local foster children.
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