FOR A GOOD CAUSE -- Bud de Cannis

Jenifer Ragland

Bud de Cannis does not like to think of himself as a volunteer. Yet every

weekday -- after he does personal training sessions in the morning and

works as a general contractor in the afternoon -- de Cannis heads to the

gym at Save Our Youth on Hamilton Street.

There, he spends a few hours each night coaching boxing to kids. He

teaches them technique, instills some values about fitness and health,

and helps boost their confidence along with their strength. He buys them

shoes when they come in barefoot, and provides them with water bottles

and towels -- all with money from his own pocket.

But de Cannis would rather not talk about how he “got involved” with the

youth organization or about why he gives so much of his time to the

cause. It’s just something he’s always done.

“I don’t think volunteerism is something I’ve discovered,” he said. “I’ve

worked with youth athletics all my life.”

De Cannis, now in his 70s, grew up in the barrios of East Los Angeles,

where he said being involved with sports was one of the only ways to

“take the next step.” He’s also a lifetime activist for minority groups

and other social causes. In the 1960s, he ran for a Long Beach

congressional seat, and he worked in the community during the Watts

riots.

“I guess it’s the chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I was spit on at the

Rendezvous Ballroom (in Balboa) when we came there from Garfield High.”

Aside from political activism, de Cannis’ time is spent immersed in

fitness. He has written books, including one to be released next year

called “Ask Not What Your Body Can Do For You, Ask What You Can Do For

Your Body,” and frequently gives lectures.

He started volunteering at Save Our Youth after he saw a newspaper ad

about a year and a half ago.

Since then, de Cannis has helped clean up the gym and has started a solid

boxing program with about 60 kids. He said there have been troubled kids

who have been difficult to work with, but getting through to those kids

is part of what makes the job rewarding.

“There was this one in particular who gave me a lot of trouble, but I did

some soul-searching and tried to put myself in his shoes,” de Cannis

said. “I ended up turning that kid.”

De Cannis said he knows boxing carries a stigma. But he says the sport is

a conditioning tool that can be taught as a science.

“It gives you so much confidence,” he said. “It is the hardest, most

rigid form of training.”

And for young people, that kind of training can be invaluable.

Although de Cannis admits that the kids he works with rarely show open

gratitude for what he is doing for them, he said he gets his feedback in

other, more subtle ways. That’s what helps keep him going at it.

“I get invited to dinners, and I feel comfortable around them,” he said.

“They listen to me, and they keep my gym very respectful.”

The Save Our Youth boxing program needs volunteers and donations. For

more information, call (949) 548-3255.

FOR A GOOD CAUSE features the people who do good in the community. To

submit story ideas, call (949) 574-4233 or send e-mail to

dailypilot@latimes.com.