Join us on the Sports Philanthropy Podcast as host Roy Kessel speaks with Jonathan Gamez-Panameno, the Founder of ClassOne Athletics. In this episode, Roy and Jonathan discuss his inspiration for creating opportunities for underserved youth, the growth of ClassOne Athletics under Puentexas, and how his efforts are expanding access to sports through equipment donations, scholarships, and international outreach.
Jonathan Gamez-Panameno
Jonathan Gamez is a Houston-based nonprofit leader and social entrepreneur, dedicated to expanding youth access to sports and education. With a background in competitive athletics and a passion for community service, Jonathan founded ClassOne Athletics, a division of Puentexas, to address the gap in opportunities for underserved children. His work aims to remove barriers — financial, logistical, or geographic — that prevent young athletes from participating in organized sports.
Through ClassOne Athletics, Jonathan has overseen programs that supply equipment, build playing fields, and create scholarship opportunities for children who might otherwise be excluded. His efforts span both local and international communities, from kids in Houston to broader reaches in Central America. Beyond sports, his leadership with Puentexas includes initiatives like Open Horizons, an AI-powered resource for students to access free learning materials — showing his commitment to combining athletics with educational equity.
Jonathan believes strongly in partnerships and collaboration. He works closely with local teams, community leaders, donors, and educational institutions to scale impact without overextending resources. His vision for ClassOne Athletics is not only to serve more children but to inspire long-term change in how underserved youth see themselves — as capable, resourceful, and deserving of opportunity both on and off the field.
ClassOne Athletics/Puentexas
ClassOne Athletics is a program under Puentexas dedicated to giving underserved youth in Texas — and beyond — greater access to organized sports and athletic development. The organization focuses on removing financial, logistical, and resource barriers so that children who might otherwise be excluded can still participate in sports. Through equipment donations, local partnerships, and field construction, ClassOne Athletics works to ensure that passion and talent, not privilege, are the deciding factors in youth sports participation.
A core component of ClassOne Athletics is its emphasis on community collaboration. By working with local teams, schools, donors, and community leaders, the organization builds sustainable support systems rather than isolated short-term interventions. Their efforts also extend internationally, distributing resources and creating opportunities in Central America, allowing ClassOne to scale its impact while retaining a commitment to equity and inclusion.
Beyond athletic access, ClassOne Athletics is part of Puentexas’s broader mission to advance educational resources and social mobility for underrepresented youth. This includes initiatives like scholarships, academic support, and free learning tools — efforts aimed at nurturing the whole child, not just the athlete. The organization envisions a future where every child, regardless of zip code or economic circumstance, has both the chance to play and the resources to succeed in sports and school alike.
0:11 – Introduction of Jonathan Gamez as Founder of ClassOne Athletics under Puentexas and overview of the organization’s mission to support underserved youth.
1:15 – Jonathan describes early initiatives, including $20,000 in resources, 700 donated books, and building a soccer field in Guatemala.
2:50 – Shares how witnessing children without proper equipment at tournaments motivated him to create ClassOne Athletics.
3:40 – Talks about his own sports background in soccer (right wing) and tennis, and how sports became a source of comfort and stress relief.
5:30 – Explains the scholarship model connecting donors, teams, and kids to eliminate financial barriers for youth ages 8–15.
7:45 – Program updates: supporting 20 children directly in Houston, more than 50 locally, and over 300 youth reached internationally.
10:10 – Soccer’s rising profile in the U.S. and how his younger brother’s progress at PSG, fueled by World Cup inspiration, highlights the importance of opportunity.
12:40 – Broader work of Puentexas, including the Open Horizons initiative offering free AI-powered academic resources.
14:55 – Partnerships and collaborations with organizations like SLB and Scholarship America, plus volunteer support from students at Harvard, Yale, and others.
18:50 – Closing reflections: how Sports Philanthropy Network can help expand ClassOne’s reach, and Jonathan’s vision as “commissioner of tennis” to grow the sport globally.
