Where the model begins.

The Vision

Building something that does not yet exist at scale

In Monroe County, we are building a model that brings structured youth athletics and holistic wellness practices together in one community, for the families who need it most.

The goal is not just programming. It is proof. Every session, every participant, every outcome helps us understand what works, refine our approach, and build a framework that can travel into new communities over time.

Why Sport and Wellness Belong Together

This is not about tricking kids into wellness.

Guided visualization, breathwork, and yoga for flexibility are tools that make athletes better at what they already care about. This is not something we are introducing from the outside. It is something athletes at the highest level already know.

Mental fitness affects how young people perform on the mat, on the field, and in the classroom. When kids learn to work on the mental side of their performance, you see it in how they compete, how they bounce back after a loss, and how they carry themselves in school.

Sport is our way in. Wellness is what we build once we are there.

How It Starts

Meeting kids where they are

In the Pocono Mountain region, wrestling is deeply rooted. It is a sport this community already believes in, already competes in, and already organizes around. That makes it the right starting point here. As the model grows, Mountain Rise will expand to other sports that are native to this region, because the goal was never wrestling. The goal is access, and sport is the door we walk through to get there.

In another city, that door might be basketball. In another community, it might be soccer, track, or martial arts. The model is designed to adapt. What stays constant is the framework: meet kids where they are, build trust through sport, and introduce the tools that make them stronger in every way.

This summer, Mountain Rise launches with Camp of Champs, a two-day youth wrestling camp bringing together three of the most accomplished wrestlers in the country to work directly with young athletes in our community.

Camp of Champs is organized and directed by Carmen Mercadante, founder of AlphaDawgz Wrestling Club and the foundation's Director of Community Recreation Programs. Carmen has spent years building the wrestling community in Monroe County and brings that network and credibility to everything Mountain Rise puts on the mat.

What Comes Next

A blueprint for what follows

Mountain Rise is a long-term investment in the Pocono Mountain region and a blueprint for what comes next. As programs mature and partnerships deepen, we will carry this model into new communities, shaped by what those communities already love.

Future growth will build on what is learned here, with planned expansion into additional regions including New York. Every community gets a version of this model that fits them. The framework travels. The sport is local.

What we learn here informs everything that follows.