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Bernsie Klaus and NOBULL Gives Back For The Holiday Season

November 15, 2020 by
Courtesy of Justin Wright
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For most, the holiday season is an exciting time of the year filled with festivities and presents. However, for many, the reality is that the cost of holiday presents, parties, and fun is too much of a financial strain for their family. 

One big thing: When he was younger, Invictus Boston coach Bern Prince’s favorite thing to find under the tree on Christmas morning was a trendy new pair of sneakers. This year, he wanted to bring the same joy to kids of the Boston public school system. Thus, Prince’s alter ego, “Bernsie Klaus” was born.

  • Partnering with NOBULL, Prince’s event planning company, Freedom, Family, Future LLC, worked to organize and distribute shoes to 100 Boston Public School kids on November 14th.
  • “We all know 2020 has been a trying year, to say the least, so the thought process was that if we give these shoes away, it’s one less gift that the parents have to worry about or budget for the holiday season,” said Prince.
  • “Also, these kids get to rock the best shoes in the game, which in my humble opinion is NOBULL,” Prince added.
Courtesy of Bern Prince

Fitness and festivities: Not only did Prince want to give away shoes, he also wanted to get these kids excited about fitness and working out.

  • “The only true ‘catch’ is before they got the shoes, they had to do a WOD,” said Prince.
  • “It was one round of 10 squats, 10 push-ups, and 10 jumping jacks,” he added.
  • The event was a huge hit with the kids involved.
  • “One by one parents, brothers, sisters, and even grandparents came. They tried on shoes, took pictures, and of course, they did squats to the correct depth,” Prince commented.
  • “They waved hello to everyone, cheered on their classmates, and just had a great time.”

The big picture: Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the day was the impact these shoes had on the kids who received them.

  • “My biggest takeaway from the day was how confident the kids were,” Prince recounted.
  • “I know we all look at our high school years differently and I remember myself as a teen being awkward and shy,” he added.
  • “Today, that wasn’t these kids,” he continued. I saw smiles so big you could see it through their masks,”

The future of Bernsie Klaus: While this year was no small effort to distribute 100 shoes to these kids, Prince hopes that next year they can make this event even better.

  • “The hope in the future is to do several different high schools and give away even more shoes,”
  • “Instead of 100, 500, maybe 1,000? I truly have no clue, because I am still processing this year,” he said.
Courtesy of Justin Wright

Why it matters: Small events like these are the cornerstone of our community. They are truly the catalyst for big change. Every small difference that is made in someone’s life, especially a child’s life, spurs more and more positive changes in communities that matter. We’ve seen it before with non-profit organizations, such as CrossFit Liminal and Noble Clay Fitness. Making small, tangible impacts on the communities that need it the most is what will drive the big changes in this world.

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