TEXAS VETERANS COMMISSION 
Kingsville area veterans have some gym time exclusively for them thanks to the Kingsville Boxing Club.
“This allows the veteran to work out in a military veteran environment. The benefit of this is that this opportunity allows the veteran to express himself in ways that he feels comfortable and will not draw attention from other civilians in the gym,” said Jaime Cantu, an Army veteran and Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN), Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Certified Peer Service Coordinator. “This program is manned by volunteer veterans, the point of contact for this program is Navy Veteran Fred Mueller and his assistant is Army Veteran Coatney McGee Jr. Both of these individuals volunteer their time to open the gym and provide counseling and guidance to those who may need it.”
Veteran Gym Time volunteer group members pictured from left are: Morgan Thomas (Navy veteran), Fred Mueller (Navy veteran), William Austin (Army veteran), Jonathan Sifuentes (Army veteran), Jaime Cantu (Army veteran), Danny Aspiros (Army veteran), Al Lewis (Marine veteran ).
Both Mueller and McGee, pictured, volunteer with MVPN and share their knowledge in strength, conditioning, basic martial arts and boxing workouts.
“I have witnessed this program at work and I can see where the veteran is really at ease about being in a gym that is designated for them. Most of them also attend the gym in the evening when it is open to the public, but for those 2 hours they get to relax and express themselves amongst other veterans. Veterans from surrounding counties have also come to Veteran Gym Time and truly enjoy it,” said Cantu.
In addition to physical conditioning, Veteran Gym Time has made it possible for Cantu and MVPN to connect with area veterans and provide suicide prevention training including AS+k and CALM.
Get connected with other veterans in your area through MVPN.
