Mario Vega
Coach/Mentor-Urban Life Skills, New Life Centers of Chicagoland, Chicago
Mario Vega, sports program coordinator at New Life Centers of Chicagoland, works every day to create a spot where kids can feel safe to share their fears; a place that gives them an alternative to life on the streets. Vega and New Life Centers of Chicagoland, in collaboration with Chicago Youth Boxing Club, share in the Believe ChicagoSM goal of giving Chicago youth an opportunity to say no and end the habit of street violence that is all too familiar in their neighborhoods. Vega’s coaching focuses on helping kids make the choice to not be a part of the violence, but to be a part of the opposite force.