About us
Our Mission
Our Goal, Vision & Commitment
The Strength and Unity Foundation was established in 2022 and currently operates in Yuma, AZ. We serve multiple communities through a variety of long and short-term programs.
We strive to help the low-income community, foster care, troubled youth and to empower women. We do this through a variety of sports and fitness. We will be adding more sport to our facility in the future to accommodate the children's interests and needs.
We have multiple sports you can choose from. We have Kids & Adult Jiu Jitsu, Kids Boxing, Kids Kickboxing, Kids & Adult MMA, Baseball Lessons, a Youth Fitness Program, and Youth Empowerment Program.
Vision
Become the go-to location in the community for diverse fitness and support programs that encourage and empower individuals to take control of their health and well-being.
Mission
Offer a community facility where individuals, regardless of age or financial status, have program options and guidance for bettering their mental, emotional, and physical state.
Who we are
As a nonprofit in Yuma County, The Strength and Unity Foundation offers a community facility where everyone has program options and guidance for improving themselves mentally, emotionally, and physically regardless of age or financial status. No low-income or foster child is ever turned away!
We offer a wide range of activities that promote a great fitness foundation and personal development skills, including baseball, gymnastics, wrestling, kids fitness, and self-defense.
Why it matters
Over 40% of foster children leave the system not because they were reunited with their family or found a home but because they aged out. Statistically, only half of kids in the foster system will graduate high school or hold steady employment by age 24. The biggest reason for foster care in Yuma is neglect - these kids need love, attention, and someone who cares to give them a place to belong. Upwards of 15% of Yuma County lives under the poverty line and cannot afford enrollment or equipment for sports programs.
With statistics like these, it’s more important than ever to ensure that children have involvement. We provide a place and purpose for kids regardless of their home or life circumstances. Through sports and fitness programs, we empower children to learn life skills like critical thinking, self-respect, and personal restraint. We offer opportunities for children to make friends, problem solve, and engage in healthy competition.
By giving these children a place to belong and something to call their own, you can bring much more than just a healthy activity to their lives. This is your opportunity to be part of the solution by sponsoring children with equipment and memberships to participate in sports based, self-development programs.
How it started
The inspiration to help others often comes from acting on the opportunity to fill a need. The Strength & Unity Foundation formed in an effort to fill a critical need in this community.
From a troubled past Obrallam developed the defense mechanism to be the bully rather than becoming the victim. This negative behavior caused problems in both school and sports. It wasn’t until he joined the military and found MMA that he discovered an outlet for his childhood anger. Obrallam met and married Maggie before the two moved to Yuma and opened a gym to pursue their passion of sharing sports with others.
One day, a foster parent approached Obrallam and Maggie for help with her daughter’s behavior. While the parents were waiting for the state funding for the training to be approved, they learned the terrible news that the girl had attempted to take her life. In the hopes of preventing this from ever happening again, The Strength & Unity Foundation was born.
Our Hope for the Future
The dream of Strength and Unity Foundation is to expand into a full sports institute that will support the needs of our community. It’s a big dream, but with your help we can provide these crucial resources that many of the children in Yuma county desperately need.