Beyond the Bell in Kent to bring mentorship with a distinctive punch

Published 2:55 pm Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Inside of a detached garage in front of a quiet Kent townhome, the crack of the punching bag can be heard echoing down the street. Inside, Mike Kelley works on his dream of a boxing and mentorship program with his nonprofit organization Beyond the Bell Mentorship and Boxing Club.

Beyond the Bell received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status in April and is now starting to find its legs in Kelley’s garage.

“Today we have the power to speak life into people,” Kelley said in an interview outside the gym on July 20. “We are a mentorship first, before we are a boxing club. We use boxing as a tool, but mentorship is the goal.”

He used to have a Pokemon card collection and as a way to kick-start the garage updates, he sold that collection. Kelley took time off from training to update the garage back in May and when the classes resumed the students were pleasantly surprised.

“When they came back, it was like night and day. They were like ‘Wow!’, then with parents paying for lessons I was able to build some more stuff,” Kelley said.

He installed drywall, painted the walls, put in a TV and updated the lighting to turn what was just a normal garage into a boxing studio.

Kelley started this program as a way to help young kids in the Kent community find confidence and find a way to get them active. Boxing is the right medium in his eyes. Kelley had a challenging life dealing with adiction and was also incarcerated for five years, and would eventually be introduced to his wife Emily Hayes, who he met in the final 18-months of his sentence.

“That program saved my life a long time ago, I have just been with it ever since. I am very proud of myself,” Kelley said.

Kelley has just five current students, but it is clear his work ethic and passion are going to get Beyond the Bell to wherever he can take it.

Since starting Beyond the Bell, Kelley had just a speed bag, a heavy bag and a dream. But Kelley had a secret up his sleeve for his trainees and on a whim he reached out to Everlast, a New York-based boxing equipment company. But little did he know that a few days later a UPS truck full of equipment was going to be waiting for him at his doorstep.

“They sent us everything. Head gear, wraps, gloves, battle ropes and that was the start. We really knew this was going to take off when Everlast recognized us,” Kelley said.

Equipment is just the start for what Kelley wants his nonprofit to look like.

“A year down the road I see us having our first commercialized space,” Kelley said. “I want to have a community center type of vibe where everyone feels welcomed.”

Some of their first trainees were immigrants from Somalia who first were in Canada and then settled in Kent. The two brothers and sister were walking in a park and Kelley saw them shadow boxing, so he walked over and asked if they wanted help training. They obliged and the kids, ages 14, 13 and 10, began their boxing journey.

“We’ve watched all three completely transform,” said Emily Hayes, the founder and chief financial officer of the club to the Reporter in an email. “Their confidence has grown tremendously, they’re setting goals, holding themselves accountable, and showing up with consistency week after week. Watching that transformation has been incredibly rewarding and is exactly why Beyond The Bell exists.”

A big goal for Kelley and Hayes is to have their own space, upgrade from the garage and have a spot where families can feel safe, train and work with their mentors. They are looking for funding to help cover the cost of that sort of endeavor, but that is not seen as a hurdle but more of a speed bump.

“We didn’t want a lack of space or resources to stop us from making an impact. We decided to start with what we had rather than wait until everything was perfect. Every organization has to start somewhere, and we’re proud of our humble beginnings,” Hayes said.

Kelley has been working hard to bring new kids into his program and developing a larger area of influence. He’s reaching out to kids at the gym he sees working out. For more information about the club, go to beyondthebellmentorship.org, where you can find Kelley’s email and phone number. Donations can also be made at https://givebutter.com/BeyondTheBellMentorship

“I was taught, if you build it they will come. We see a lot of Walgreens and Rite-Aids that are closed up, we want to open those doors. We want to open those doors to any and every kid that potentially needs us,” Kelley said.