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Setaro, who owns North End Fitness in Boston, grew up in the foster care system and wants to provide the next generation of foster children a place to build a community and find a passion. He calls it calls Project F.
"As a kid, I didn't have a sense of direction, and I didn't think anyone cared whether I made it in life or wound up in jail," he wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. "That changed when a great mentor came into my life. He loved me unconditionally when I didn't have a family to do that, and he taught me that my life mattered."
Setaro went on to graduate from Boston University in 2011 and, in the intervening years, started two successful gyms. He said he wants Project F to give foster children hands-on experience in the things it took him years to learn.
"Under my supervision, foster kids will set up the studio, get the word out about it, and administer it each day," he wrote. "While I train the clients, the kids will learn the basics of fitness and running a business. More importantly, they'll have a place to call their own and a mentor who can relate to their experiences."
Setaro plans to hire 10 to 12 foster children to start and grow the gym under his guidance, and that number could grow as the business does. They'll work side-by-side with him to develop their skills – but it won't be cheap.
Setaro estimates he needs about $85,000 to make his dream a reality. He recently held a fundraiser, and he hopes to generate $65,000 through the GoFundMe.
He gave a breakdown of the costs: $42,000 will cover rent for a space in Boston for a year, $35,000 will pay for the equipment such as weights and machinery, and $8,000 will go to administrative costs like setting up a 501(c)3. Though, Setaro believes the value of hope is innumerable.
Life for adults who grew up in the foster care system is often a bleak one. According to the National Foster Youth Institute, 97 percent won't attend college.
In Massachusetts, more than a third of them end up homeless at some point in their lives, and more than two-thirds will be arrested before they turn 30. Setaro believes he would have joined them had he not found a mentor and a passion.
"The system is broken, you can't argue that," Setaro said in a video he made for the GoFundMe. "There's an old adage that 'someone needs to do something about that,' and that's what I want to do. That's the heart of Project F."
Click here to learn more about Setaro's GoFundMe campaign.
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