David's passion for helping others was birthed out of his life experiences. David was born in Washington, D.C, in 1961. At the age of 4, David’s mother was the victim of domestic violence which ultimately took her life. Raised by his grandparents, he was taught to be kind to others, treat others with respect, and live life to the fullest. In 1989, David joined DC Fire Department (DCFD).

 

As a firefighter, he was not focused on healthy eating and exercise regimens, and as a result, gained a lot of weight. On a routine fire call 10 years into his career, he had a life alternating experience. David had to climb 10 flights of stairs and when he reached the top, he felt like he was having a heart attack. He was unable to perform his job duties, which made him a liability to the Department. At that point, David decided to change his eating habits and he began an exercise regimen to get into physical shape to fulfill his firefighter duties. David dropped 40 pounds, became healthier, and later decided to assist others to do the same.

In 2008, David started DNT Fitness, which is a family-oriented organization that promotes a healthy lifestyle as well as helping others in need. David wants everyone to understand the importance of eating healthy and maintaining a consistent training program on a daily basis. In 2012, David was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Doctors told him that his physical fitness contributed to him surviving the surgery. After this experience, conditioning others became his main focus. 

In 2015, David retired from the DCFD and began training others through DNT Fitness on a full-time basis. One of his longtime friends and a member of DNT Fitness, Charles Coates succumbed to cancer. Losing a good friend and client to cancer, inspired David to develop a 5K race in his honor. The proceeds from the race are partially given to cancer organizations. In 2019, David expanded his charitable efforts to help high school seniors who are pursuing higher education. That year DNT Fitness presented four (4) $1,000 dollar scholarships to deserving high school graduates in addition to continuing monetary support to cancer organizations. The following year in 2020, DNT Fitness presented ten (10) $1,000 scholarships to high school graduates.

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With the development of The DNT Foundation, David and the board members are working to develop more sponsors to increase donations to cancer organizations and high school graduates. David looks forward to growing his charitable efforts through The DNT Foundation. See a recent interview with David by clicking on the interview button below.