How Jessie Dudley-Rangel founded Organización de Amigos to provide free, after-school based fitness to students in Oregon.
Jessie Dudley-Rangel started her career as an elementary school teacher in the Oregon public schools.
During the seven years she worked as a teacher, Jessie noticed a rise in high-risk behaviors among students, many of whom faced challenges like learning disabilities, trauma, and difficulty coping with stress.
While she couldn’t do anything about the systemic inequities or family issues these children faced, she knew firsthand how much structured physical activity could help address these challenges.
Her first thought was CrossFit, which she’d discovered when she was a college rower at Pacific Lutheran University. She knew what a difference it made in her life, and thought it would help the kids if she could figure out a way to make the experience affordable.
“I realized there were so many kids who would benefit from that experience because of the community and the culture that CrossFit provides,” Jessie said.
She also knew how expensive a gym membership can be, and understood that many kids within Oregon and Washington couldn’t afford to access CrossFit kids' programs.
Jessie’s first solution was to co-open an affiliate in 2019 that the students could join for free. However, not long after opening the gym she encountered another barrier for her students: transportation. Many of the parents worked two jobs or overnight shifts, and couldn’t get the kids to the gym.
“The only way to really make things as accessible as possible,” Jessie said, “is to make it free and to help eliminate transportation and time barriers.”
This meant bringing CrossFit to the schools.
So in 2022, Jessie left her teaching career, sold her CrossFit affiliate, and founded Organización de Amigos (AMIGOS), a nonprofit that brings functional fitness programs directly to students in Oregon public schools.
Now, three years later, AMIGOS has a staff of four, and they are working with three schools, with plans to add a fourth.
The organization works with a variety of different age groups, running classes once a week as an afterschool program.
“We work with the schools to distribute applications and then from there, we figure out which kids would benefit from it the most,” Jessie said.
The AMIGOS team provides boxes, barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells, medicine balls, and jump ropes, bringing them into the gymnasium or workout space for each weekly session.
“The kids get so excited when they get to use the barbells,” Jessie said. Like many people, they want to put as much weight as possible on the barbells, Jessie said, but the coaches make sure they start with a PVC pipe to get the hang of the technique first.
“It's an incentive for them to learn how to move well if they want to add weight,” Jesse said, adding that the challenge and the possibility of getting strong keeps the kids engaged and motivated.
“It just makes them feel really strong and empowered,” she said.
In addition to after school classes, AMIGOS organizes competitions and field trips.
“We do rock climbing trips and weightlifting competitions, just to show the kids exposure to new experiences, showing them that fitness can be fun and competing can be fun,” Jessie said.
One of her goals is for the kids to see that you can take what you learn in the CrossFit classes at school to the outside world, discovering new fun hobbies and activities.
When they started, AMIGOS held a fundraiser competition called C4K Comp. They used the money they raised to buy the equipment, which Jessie then had to transport from school to school in her Chevy Malibu, unloading the barbells and weights for each class.
During that first year, AMIGOS also won a grant from CrossFit that allowed them to buy $10,000 worth of equipment they could store at the schools, meaning Jessie didn’t have to drag as many barbells around in her small car.
Going forward, the mission of AMIGOS is to make their after school programs and weightlifting programs accessible to all.
“Our goal is to implement as many programs as possible into the public schools, and then maybe down the road have a brick and mortar facility that's free for the kids and their families,” Jessie said.
Right now, AMIGOS is funded mostly through fundraisers and individual donations. Their three big fundraisers each year, which raise 80 percent of their funding, are a jogathon, a weightlifting competition, and a CrossFit competition. In 2026, Jessie said they are planning on adding a pickleball tournament.
“We do a lot of networking events, so we also get a bunch of corporate sponsors from local businesses,” Jessie said, “but we're trying to get more sponsors from bigger companies and grants.”
However, in the last year grants have been more difficult to obtain, because most organizations are focused on funding essentials like housing and food.
One thing that has been essential for their work with children and schools, Jessie said, has been working with CrossFit RRG for their insurance needs.
“With the school district, insurance can get kind of tricky, but we have had no problem with CrossFit RRG and NEXO Insurance,” Jessie said.
If she ever needs to add another facility under their insurance, Jessie said the NEXO team is always quick to respond and makes the process easy.
“It’s nice to know they have our backs,” Jessie said.
Another thing that’s helped AMIGOS when working with schools, Jessie said, is her experience as an educator.
She already knew many of the people in the schools, knew how they worked. And then once she got the program up and running at one school, the subsequent schools became easier.
“I was already implementing the program at my current school, so it became a word of mouth situation,” she said.
For anyone interested in starting a similar program, Jessie suggests starting with the principal.
“You have to go to the principal of each school because the principals have more autonomy over what is done at the schools,” she said, adding that if you let them know you can handle the equipment, insurance, and certified coaching staff, they are more likely to buy in.
“At the end of the day, it's a business,” Jessie said. “You have to know things like, what insurance do I need in a financial, financial advisor, but like a bookkeeper? So having that knowledge beforehand is really important.”
About Author, Hilary Achauer