Jordan Falcon was diagnosed with epilepsy at a young age. His brother Dan Falcon found that while working in the gym that Jordan improved both mentally and physically.
Jordan inspired Dan and his girlfriend Martha Parthe to create Jordan’s Corner, a non-for-profit organization.
The mission of Jordan’s Corner is to help children with special needs get fit and overcome obstacles through boxing. Jordan’s Corner offers free boxing classes for children between the ages 7 and 17 who have different disabilities.
“Not only does it help these kids in terms of teaching them more of a healthy lifestyle and getting physically fit, [but] it helps them with making friends in the class,” Parthe said.
In 2013, Parthe and Dan opened their own business, Falcon’s Boxing Gym, located in Glenview.
“We got the gym, which is opened for business, and we charge for membership,” Parthe said. “We hold our Jordan’s Corner classes at the gym. We aren’t making any money from Jordan’s Corner. Jordan’s Corner truly is something we really want to keep free of charge. The gym and Jordan’s Corner are two separate organizations.”
Despite having to manage both Jordan’s Corner and Falcon’s Boxing Gym, according to Parthe, the faculty of Jordan’s Corner works extremely hard to create a welcoming environment for the kids.
“We pride ourselves on creating a really supportive, nurturing and positive environment,” Parthe said. “We set our expectations high, but we allow them to get to the place they need to get to on their own time frame.”
According to Parthe, she has many memories of watching the students grow. One particular student comes to Parthe’s mind: Jacob.
Jacob has cerebral palsy, a disorder that harshly affects muscle tone, movement and causes a struggle when learning new lessons.
“It was hard to get him engaged,” Parthe said. “It took us a little over a year. The first time he put on those boxing gloves […] he started hitting one of the instructors, sparring with them. It was the most amazing scene to watch.”
Jacob’s mom agrees that Jacob’s progress has skyrocketed.
“I love watching him [participating in class],” she said. “He is able to do something he wasn’t able to do before. He likes this place so much.”
She feels that Jordan’s Corner has volunteers who are very dedicated.
“It’s people that really know exercise and discipline,” she said. “They also know how to deal with kids with special needs. Put [those] two things together and it came out perfectly. They are totally dedicated to helping these kids learn.”
Not only does Jordan’s Corner make a difference on students’ lives, but it also affects volunteers in a meaningful way.
“It’s taught me every day to be grateful for your life and to always give back to others,” Parthe said. “You can change these kids’ lives.”
Parthe’s niece, junior Olivia Flores, has also felt personal change through volunteering at Jordan’s Corner since her freshman year.
“You definitely learn how to motivate kids and they have such a positive energy around you, that you have to be positive too,” Flores said.
According to Flores, Jordan’s Corner has helped her consider doing peer mentoring at South to continue to work with and help kids with special needs.
Another volunteer, South alumnus Kenneth Allen, also decided that he wants to work with more kids in the future. Allen has volunteered at Jordan’s Corner for more than five months.
“Ever since I started doing Jordan’s Corner, I’ve changed a lot from high school,” Allen said. “I’m here every single day. Jordan’s Corner made me want to work with […] autistic kids when I get older.”
Parthe said she wants Jordan’s Corner to benefit as many kids as possible by making Jordan’s Corner more nationwide. In addition, Parthe wants more volunteers from South to take part.
“It would be a dream of ours if we could franchise this out to other gyms,” Parthe said. “We want to start a volunteer program at [South] for [Jordan’s Corner]. We’re trying to find […] students at [South] to start volunteering. We feel that teaching how to give back and charity at an early age is a good thing.”
