DEUCE Community Update: May 2024
Joseph Bruner, A Year of Freedom
Think about what you were doing and where you were in 2007.
Now, Imagine not having a full year of freedom between now and then.
Until May 3, that was the reality for Joseph Bruner. He could not escape a vicious cycle of substance use and incarceration.
The last time Joe was a Student in our program, he was a rising star. However, upon release, he relapsed while staying in a drug-infested halfway house. After losing Joe, we knew we had to commit to providing safe and supportive housing to our students.
Flash forward to today, and Joe runs the Breath and Exposure program at DEUCE Gym, manages facilities for DEUCE Gym and DEUCE Community, and serves as the nonprofit's Housing Manager. Watching him grow into and excel in these leadership roles has been among the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced.
The best part about Joe’s story is the amount of authorship he takes in it. He acknowledges how a lack of ownership and unwillingness to deal with past trauma trapped him in his old life.
Now, he approaches his situation differently; he moves through the world with the calm confidence of a man who knows that any obstacle can be overcome with an open mind and a willingness to dig into the work required to change.
Reflecting on what his year out meant Joseph proudly assured me that he knows he never has to go back.
What’s next for Coach Joe? He is working towards a 200-hour Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training and contemplating returning to school for a degree in social work.
The DEUCE Community Housing Program is back in full operation.
The effort to expand housing and bring it back to the Westside has been a long, hard ordeal for the nonprofit and the people we serve. However, we firmly believe that everything worthwhile in life comes with unexpected difficulties that are impossible to foresee.
We also know the immense value of a positive housing environment and are unwilling to compromise on our commitment to providing that security to as many people as possible.
At the end of April, our students and community came together to repair and refurbish an old house on the corner of 23rd and Ocean Park in Santa Monica. The house will serve as housing and workspace for the people in our programs.
The new house doubles our housing capacity, which means we can serve more people at a higher level. More capacity also means more opportunities for our students to step into leadership roles. Coach Joseph oversaw and led all renovations to the house and has leveled up to a new official role as Housing Manager.
The best ways to get involved in our housing program are to check out our Amazon Wishlist or attend our monthly community dinners.
After much planning and hard work, DEUCE Community Limitless, our Youth program, is off the ground with our first 6-week program in collaboration with Amino Venice Charter High School. The program takes place at DEUCE Gym and includes mentorship, positive behavior modeling, mental health, and physical fitness for a select group of students from at-risk environments.
Cianna Miller and Jose Bojorquez envisioned and designed the program. Coach Jose is a perfect fit to lead it because of his background and intense drive to create opportunities for youth and prevent them from following the path he did early in life.
DEUCE Limitless believes that if all at-risk youth in Los Angeles had consistent membership, then cycles of poverty and incarceration would be broken. This program is our first attempt at closing the gap between that reality and the current one.
Every Friday at 5:00 p.m.
Sober Workout with Coach Joe @ 5:00 PM 110 Lincoln Blvd
Every Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
Community Workout at DEUCE Gym @ 110 Lincoln Blvd, email jose@deucecommunity.org
Every Last Thursday of the Month
Community Dinner at 2603 23rd Street, Santa Monica, email joseph@deucegym.com to RSVP
Every Last Saturday of the Month
Street Cleanup at 12:00 PM DEUCE Gym 110 Lincoln Blvd
3rd Annual Tattoo Pop Up | June 22nd
Volunteers needed, email campbell@deucegym.com
The Amazon Prime packages that show up on the porch of the DEUCE Community House mean more to these guys than you can possibly imagine. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.