In every strong community, there are champions who stand behind the scenes—people who show up, speak up, and invest in the future. For DBNO, one of those champions is Jeff Matthews, an educator and mentor who has witnessed the organization’s impact up close.

When Jaylen Beckwith first walked into Coach Alphonso Bailey’s makeshift gym, he was searching for more than just a place to box. He was looking for direction, consistency, and someone to believe in him. What he found was a second family—and a mission he would eventually come to call his own.

What began as a vision born from lived experience is now a thriving nonprofit with a physical space, structured programs, and a powerful community mission. Down But Not Out (DBNO), founded by Alphonso Bailey, was selected as Mapt’s 2025 Transformation Challenge winner for its unique approach to youth empowerment through boxing, mentorship, and character development.

Long before he founded DBNO, Alphonso Bailey was a young man with promise, a football scholarship, and a tight-knit family cheering him on. But after the sudden loss of his father, his world fell apart. “I started hanging with the wrong people. I was making bad decisions. I didn’t know how to deal with the pain,” he said.