Wylie Belasik, a Kennett High School graduate, founded UliftU, a nonprofit to help people reentering society from prison become fitness coaches. Gina Tomaine muscled her way through the particulars for Philadelphia magazine.

Belasik’s worldview begins with the vision of sport as “a tool for social change.”

Atop that foundation, he launched UliftU, which offers former inmates the opportunity to learn the science and finances involved in becoming fitness coaches.

Graduates start at $25 per hour and lead free all-ages classes each week at recreation centers throughout North Philadelphia. They serve areas rife with crime, health risks, and low life expectancies, often the conditions in which these new trainers grew up themselves.

To provide yet more intervention in redirecting lives away from crime, Belasik is now targeting his education programs to youths.

“Since this past June, our Ulift-Youth program has connected teens currently in the juvenile justice system with fitness and life skills like teamwork and accountability,” wrote Belasik.

The nonprofit provides returning citizens with a path to stable employment. In seeding fitness opportunities in at-risk neighborhoods, it also opens a door to better health for residents for whom it was inaccessible, either geographically or financially.

“It’s powerful when people can see themselves represented in the person leading them — and that can help make a lasting impact,” wrote Belasik.

Read more about Wylie Belasik in Philadelphia magazine.