Neighborhood Ninjas

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Berkshire County, MA
Neighborhood Ninjas

We are a nonprofit organization helping kids overcome obstacles in their lives through Scholarship, Mentorship, Community, and Connection.

We are a nonprofit organization providing services to kids facing obstacles in their lives. By partnering with participating ninja warrior gyms to offer several exciting programs, Neighborhood Ninjas will spread connection, growth, and positivity, one kid at a time. Our programs are:

Mentorship Program

Studies have shown the positive effect mentoring programs have on youth, particularly with und

errepresented youth. Our mentoring program aims to empower mentees to unlock the 5 C’s within themselves: Competence, Confidence, Connection, Compassion, and Character. Our structured and organized approach will help them: Learn the importance of these qualities on the ninja course, understand their greater importance throughout all areas of their life, and apply these lessons off the course to any obstacles they may currently or one day face. Each Mentee is paired with a ninja Mentor to help them grow and be the extra support in their lives. Neighborhood Ninja Community Events

We community building events at local gyms to bring parents, kids, and ninjas together and deeply connect the neighborhood. Contact us about organizing/hosting a Community Day! Partners in Prevention

Safety doesn’t just mean spotting. It means taking a trauma-informed approach to helping our kids feel safe and supported both in and out of the gym, and recognizing that one out of every 10 kids you know, or even coach, has experienced child sexual abuse. That’s why we’re offering the Darkness to Light Stewards of Children training for FREE to anyone affiliated with our mentoring program, and for a small donation for anyone not affiliated who would like to become a Partner in Prevention.

06/10/2026

🌟 Sponsor Spotlight: Lee Youth Commission 🌟

🫶🏻 A huge thank you to the Lee Youth Commission for yet another contribution to the NinjaFit Playground project!

Did you know that of the was the original driving force behind bringing the NinjaFit Playground to Lee?

💪 The 15-obstacle NinjaFit Playground was intentionally designed to address a critical gap in recreation. While most traditional playgrounds are built primarily for children under age 12, the NinjaFit Playground creates a space that youth, teens, young adults, and families can continue to grow into rather than age out of.

Once complete, the playground will host free community classes, family events, competitions, and diversion programming for teens while supporting physical fitness, problem-solving, neuroplasticity, and social-emotional learning.

The NinjaFit Playground is designed to promote:
✅ Creative problem-solving through play and movement
✅ Community connection, communication, and collaboration
✅ Growth mindset, resilience, and protective factors
✅ A lifelong love of physical activity
✅ Healthy coping skills learned through overcoming challenges
✅ A strengths-based, process-focused approach to life’s obstacles
✅ Opportunities for whole families to be active together

Thank you to the Lee Youth Commission for believing in this vision from the very beginning and for continuing to invest in the health, wellness, and future of Berkshire County youth and families.

🏗️ Community Build Day and Grand Opening are coming soon! Follow along for event details, volunteer opportunities, and project updates.

06/06/2026

🥷💙 Help Send a Ninja to WNL World Championships! 💙🥷

“My son loves ninja and competing. He is fiercely competitive, but most of all he loves cheering on his teammates. He wants to coach someday.”

Earlier this year, this athlete qualified for Nationals, but his family was unable to attend because the cost was simply out of reach.

When he qualified for the World Ninja League World Championships, his family promised they would do everything they could to help him get there.

Now we’re hoping our community can help.

At Neighborhood Ninjas, we believe financial barriers should never stand in the way of a child pursuing a dream they worked hard to achieve.

We’re raising $300 to help cover travel, lodging, and competition expenses so this incredible young athlete can compete on the world stage.

Every donation—whether it’s $5, $10, $25, or more—helps bring him one step closer to Worlds.

💙 Donate:
🔗 neighborhoodninjas.org/donate
💚 Venmo: -ninjas-5
💙 PayPal: [email protected]

Let’s show this young ninja what a supportive community can do. 🥷✨

06/02/2026

😍 Can you believe it’s officially been TWO years since we built our NinjaFit Playground in Wilmington, DE?

What started as a vision for a place for people of all ages to move, play, and grow as we expand access to the sports of ninja and ocr… has become something so much bigger.

Over the past two years, we’ve watched kids, parents, grandparents, athletes, and community members of all ages challenge themselves, encourage one another, and create memories together. 🫶🏻

That intergenerational impact is exactly why we do this work. Playgrounds aren’t just for play—they’re spaces that bring communities together, promote lifelong movement, and inspire healthy habits across generations. We created a space that people can grow into, rather than age out of, as they overcome obstacles together.

And that’s why we’re so excited to bring our next NinjaFit Playground to the Berkshires this summer. We can’t wait to see the connections, confidence, and community that will grow from it for years to come.

Stay tuned for community build and grand opening details coming soon!

05/28/2026

Our Director, , had such a great time facilitating a nutrition workshop with .bank Health & Wellness Health & Wellness Colleague Resource Network, with support from its Chair, Lindsay Codwise! 🫶🏻

🥰 We are so grateful for Beacon Bank’s support of the NinjaFit Playground project.

As a holistic health, life and nutrition coach for over 10 years, Alex is always happy to include workplace wellness initiatives as just one of many benefits for our playground sponsors. 👏

Some of the key takeaways from the session included:
🍎 A deeper understanding of how nutrition fits into whole-person wellness
🍽️ Simple, practical frameworks for building balanced meals that support energy and consistency, reduce cravings and improve overall health
🍱 Foundational knowledge of metabolism, energy balance, and why extreme dieting doesn’t work
⏰ Realistic strategies for planning, preparation, and making better choices in a busy day
💪 Small, sustainable habit shifts and behavior change hacks that are actually doable and built to last

We are so grateful for the opportunity to help others improve their health and excited to continue building meaningful partnerships like this!

05/21/2026

We have 5 applications from kids who need a little support getting to championships and we need your help to get them there. 🫶🏻

We’ve done this scholarship every year since 2018 because we know how hard our youth and their families work and how much this opportunity means to them.

To us, giving kids the chance to compete at the World Championships isn’t about how well they do….

It’s about the experiences they gain and the ways in which they grow in the process.

It’s about rewarding their hard work, and helping them feel a sense of normalcy despite facing financial difficulty at home.

It’s about the community, connections, confidence, compassion and character they gain.

We keep doing this scholarship because access is at the core of our mission, and because year after year we hear so many stories about how much it means to these kids.

Help us make dreams come true - apply or donate at the link in our bio 💕

Neighborhoodninjas.org/scholarships

Venmo: neighborhood-ninjas-5
Paypal: [email protected]
worldchampionship

05/19/2026

Do you remember your first time at WNL championships?

We want to help give others that same experience.

Others who won’t be able to go without a little support.

But we need your help to make that happen.

Every dollar donated through the end of May will be matched to make this dream a reality for little ninjas (and even big ninjas) who are facing financial hardship.

Want to help make that happen?

Donate now at the link in our bio 🫶🏻

05/12/2026

We want to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all of the incredible moms in the Ninja community 🥰

At Neighborhood Ninjas, we believe strong moms help build strong communities. Research consistently shows that when parents - especially mothers - engage in regular physical activity, their children are significantly more likely to be active themselves. Kids learn not just from what we say, but from what they see. 💪

That’s one of the reasons we are so passionate about creating accessible spaces where moms can move, build strength, connect with others, and grow alongside their children.

There is something incredibly powerful about a child watching their mom try something difficult, persevere, get stronger, and keep showing up. Those moments help shape resilience, confidence, and healthy habits that can last a lifetime.

Today we celebrate all of the moms who continue to inspire the next generation to build the strength to overcome obstacles - both on and off the course 💪

05/10/2026

Happy Birthday to an incredible member of the Neighborhood Ninjas team, 🥰

We are so grateful to have you as part of the organization and continually inspired by your passion for access, equity, and creating opportunities for others. Your dedication to community and belief in creating spaces where everyone feels welcome and supported make such a meaningful impact. 💪

We love you and hope this year brings you as much joy and inspiration as you bring to those around you! 🎉

05/06/2026

Scholarships for Championships are BACK!!

If you or one of your kids are in need of financial assistance to make it to Worlds this year, click the link in our bio to apply for one of our scholarships!

Fun fact - we’ve provided need based scholarships every year since 2018, so that every hard-working Ninja can have the opportunity to compete regardless of financial hardships they may be experiencing.

We have supported some incredible athletes who wouldn’t have had the opportunity otherwise, and much of that is thanks to support from our Ninja community.

Hope you feel called to support a ninja and need this year, even $10 helps.

04/29/2026

Today we want to give a huge shoutout to Okun Services - a Great Barrington based gutter and window cleaning company owned and operated by Ted Okun.

You may know Ted as the local gutter and window guy, but did you know he’s also an obstacle racing enthusiast?

“I truly believe in this endeavor to bring people together and strengthen the community. It is in honor to be part of this project. It’s not just for kids, but adults too! When we put ourselves in difficult situations where we continuously fail but keep putting in the effort, we can see gradual improvement that leads to success. I’ve been running in obstacle course races for several years, and this concept is a very real thing.

Like their mission says, Neighborhood Ninja is going to help this community build confidence, connection, compassion and resilience. They have a whole slew of programming lined up which will get people down from Pittsfield and up from Sheffield and Great Barrington. They will be bringing in coaches and mentors as well as having community days, competitions and other special events. The obstacles are built to be for people of a wide range of abilities. No experience necessary.”

Ted has already donated $1000 and is currently raising money to be able to sponsor an obstacle at $5000. 👏

🫶🏻 We are so grateful for Ted and his support!

To donate or sponsor an obstacle, visit:
Neighborhoodninjas.org/ninjafit-lee

Address

Berkshire County, MA

Website

http://www.neighborhoodninjas.org/

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