Give Kids a Fighting Chance Boxing Event to be Held at Palladium

Saturday, May 04, 2013

Jeffrey Starr, GoLocalWorcester Contributor

Stephanee Germaine is excited about participating in this event that benefits so many. Photo courtesy of Jonnie Coutu

The 11th annual Give Kids a Fighting Chance amateur charity boxing event is being held Thursday, May 9th at the Palladium. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The event benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester and is open to the public.

All participants in the event have little to no prior experience boxing and have been training the past few months with various coaches from all over Worcester who have donated their time and talents to the new pugilists. For fairness and safety sake, the amateur boxers will all be carefully matched to fight someone of equal stature and ability, though the official lineup and fight cards have yet to be announced.

A Friendly Competition for Charity

It is friendly competition in every sense of the phrase.

"The success of the event this year is expected to far exceeded any previous year! The real winners of this event are the deserving kids of the Boys and Girls Club," says Stephanee Germaine, local resident and recent graduate of Clark, and one of the participants scheduled to fight.

"As a Clark alumni with a deep rooted background in community outreach, this fight is one of the most amazing opportunities I have had to give back to a community that I have become so invested in for the past 5 years. It is a privilege to be a part of such an incredible event!," she exclaims.

The donations from the event will raise money which will be used to purchase, and deliver, new and much needed equipment for not only the boxing program at the Boys and Girls Club, but for many other programs within the organization. These programs include basketball, swimming, arts and crafts, as well as events that occur throughout the year. Donations, from this and other community events, have also enabled the expansion of programs for at risk youth to include a three week G.A.N.G. (Gang Awareness for the Next Generation) Summer camp and sponsor several amateur Boys Club fighters to travel and compete in the Golden Gloves and Silver Mittens tournaments across the Country.

Nate Reando, a member of the Worcester Police Department's gang unit and co-owner of CrossFit CenterMass, founded the event 11 years ago, and ever since it has contributed greatly in allowing the Boys and Girls Club to continue their outreach efforts that help identify at-risk youths and help turn them in a positive direction.

"The event is unique because it isn't just something that comes together in one night, by one person, it is an event that takes months of planning, training, dedication and commitment from business owners, community members, and the fighters themselves. It draws so many people from all walks of life (nearly 3,000 I believe) to a venue all in the spirit of raising money to positively impact the lives of at-risk youth," remarks Stephanee.

How Stephanee Became Involved

Stephanee tells the story of how she herself became involved.

"I actually became involved in the event after Nate Reando... casually mentioned to me after a gym competition that he was looking for a female college fighter who could bring a crowd of people to the event. I'm sitting there racking my brain for someone to suggest, when I realize he means me!...'Why not I thought? When else will I have the chance to do something so out of my comfort zone? And for such a good cause?' I suppose the 'bucket list' factor is what really pulled me in, and as they say, the rest is history. Not having a clue to what I was getting myself into, nor having any boxing experience, the next week I began training. It's been a wild and amazing ride ever since and I'm absolutely psyched for fight night!"

She surely echoes the sentiment of all involved. The participants get a lot out of participating as do all those the Boys and Girls Club benefits.

"Truthfully, I've already gained so much from this experience! I feel like I have a whole new family of people cheering me on and a new love for boxing, so much so actually, that I plan to continue training after the fight! I can't even imagine what this last week of training and fight night will have in store," she states.

For more information on Give Kids a Fighting Chance please click here. For more information on the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester please click here.