Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program

The Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization after school program which provides over 150 Detroit-based children, ages 7–18, with tutoring, mentoring, meals, transportation to/from the facility, and boxing instruction.^[1][2] The gym currently has a waiting list of over 800 students looking to join the academic / boxing program. With the help of donations, the program has a short term goal of having 250 in the program by the end of September 2018, which is an increase from the population it serves currently.^[3]

History

Founded in 2007, owner and founder, Khali Sweeney opened up the doors to a facility that incorporates an academic and athletic program to help kids in inner-city Detroit.^[4] This program is free for students within a 3-mile radius, serving in Detroit's toughest neighborhoods. Downtown Boxing Gym (DBG) teaches life lessons with the motto Books before Boxing. The Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program has been located in a 27,000 square foot converted bookbindery since 2015.^[5]

Partnerships and Donations

Detroit Boxing Gym has received much recognition from an array of news sources. In 2017, the gym began raising funds and requesting donations to go towards a renovation project that would lower their energy bills. At the time, the heating bill for the gym rose to a staggering $15,000 for one month alone.^[3] The renovation project would reduce the energy costs by 85 percent and allow 25 prospective students admission to join the program.

DBG has partnered with many companies to help ensure success and exposure to the kids that are a part of the program. In 2017, the organization received a $100,000 donation from Impact 100. This contribution to the program funds intensive literacy intervention with 60 students with assistance from Beyond Basics. The McGregor Fund also provided an $85,000 grant to support the operations of this program initiative. In the fall of 2016, Downtown Boxing Gym also launched an after school computer coding program for students with Grand Circus Detroit LLC. This program brought in team members from the company to teach students the basics of coding through way of fun and interactive activities. On May 1, 2017 Rocket Fiber began teaching the students about fiber optics and the use of connected technology in order to help expose and prepare them for careers in the technology industry.^[3] The largest donation to date is from the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, as they donated $500,000 to the Boxing Gym in efforts for students to build an apprenticeship program. The two year grant will be used to employ additional full-time staff, which will hopefully double the current amount to bring on more students.^[6]

Awards

Founder Khali Sweeney serves as a well known community activist in the city of Detroit and has received many awards and accolades for his passion in changing the lives of youth. In 2017, Sweeney was honored as a Crain's 2017 Changemaker.^[6] Khali is also a CNN Hedd ro.

References