In 1991, with the overwhelming support of many, including tennis great Arthur Ashe, the Peter Westbrook Foundation was launched by the legendary Peter Westbrook—winner of the Bronze Medal in Men’s Sabre event at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. Long considered the “chess of sports,” Peter recognized fencing’s potential as a vehicle for developing life skills in inner-city youth as a result of having experienced its transformative effects in his own life while growing up in the projects of Newark, NJ.

Erinn and Keeth Smart (2008 Olympic Silver medalists) were among the first students to enroll in the Saturday Program. While the equipment was donated and mostly used, the enthusiasm and gratitude felt by the students was obvious. Since then, over 2,000 inner-city kids have enrolled in this not-for-profit community program.

    Over the last several years, members of PWF’s Elite Fencing Squad have qualified for three Olympic teams, countless senior and junior world teams, and have attended and graduated from some of the finest universities in the U.S., including: Duke, Columbia, NYU, St. Johns, Rutgers, Ohio State and Temple.