DeAngelo Alston Sr., founder of TGK Athletics, is better known in southern Maine as Coach D. He created the nonprofit with the goal of fostering the academic, athletic and social development of Maine’s youth in an environment with minimized social and economic barriers. “It teaches us a lot of life lessons, a lot of ups and downs,” said Coach D about sports. “There’s a lot of different pieces of diversity that kids face, and through the sport we use that to kind of help them overcome that.” He’s proud of the “safe haven” he’s created for people from a range of backgrounds. Coach D said some athletes have unstable lives at home, and others struggle at school, but they are all welcome at TGK. Board member Michelle Wood has seen her teenage son flourish under Coach D’s mentorship. “He is accepted. He has formed a relationship with the coaches and Coach D. He does the clinics. His confidence — he’s not the same kid he was a year ago,” she said.TGK runs the Grind Lab in Saco, and they also use the gymnasium at the St. James School in Biddeford. With help from other local businesses, Coach D worked to completely renovate that space. “It was totally shut down,” he said. “The windows were a dungeon. There was the floor — we redid the floor. We redid the painting.” Coach D now runs the middle school basketball program there and uses the gym for TGK events. When he’s not on the court or in the gym, he serves on an advisory board that works to ensure all public and private spaces have proper medical equipment and trained staff to keep people safe in case of a medical emergency. If you know someone you think should be recognized as a Community Champion, send an email to communitychampion@hearst.com.
DeAngelo Alston Sr., founder of TGK Athletics, is better known in southern Maine as Coach D. He created the nonprofit with the goal of fostering the academic, athletic and social development of Maine’s youth in an environment with minimized social and economic barriers.
“It teaches us a lot of life lessons, a lot of ups and downs,” said Coach D about sports. “There’s a lot of different pieces of diversity that kids face, and through the sport we use that to kind of help them overcome that.”
He’s proud of the “safe haven” he’s created for people from a range of backgrounds. Coach D said some athletes have unstable lives at home, and others struggle at school, but they are all welcome at TGK.
Board member Michelle Wood has seen her teenage son flourish under Coach D’s mentorship.
“He is accepted. He has formed a relationship with the coaches and Coach D. He does the clinics. His confidence — he’s not the same kid he was a year ago,” she said.
TGK runs the Grind Lab in Saco, and they also use the gymnasium at the St. James School in Biddeford. With help from other local businesses, Coach D worked to completely renovate that space.
“It was totally shut down,” he said. “The windows were a dungeon. There was the floor — we redid the floor. We redid the painting.”
Coach D now runs the middle school basketball program there and uses the gym for TGK events.
When he’s not on the court or in the gym, he serves on an advisory board that works to ensure all public and private spaces have proper medical equipment and trained staff to keep people safe in case of a medical emergency.
If you know someone you think should be recognized as a Community Champion, send an email to communitychampion@hearst.com.