His game face on, Omar Ingram waited for the chance to shine in the ring he calls home with dreams of the Olympics and a professional career. And a few minutes later Saturday, the 15-year-old Detroit boxer used his blue gloves to throw and land punches at a furious clip
In January, the Detroit Lions launched a social justice program, backed by the team’s players, owner Martha Ford and coach Matt Patricia, which would fund a three-pronged initiative: Sponsoring scholarship funding, social-education programs and medical aid and health assistance. On Tuesday, the team announced a second wave of nine individual programs that
The Detroit Lions will award nearly $600,000 in grants to local charities next year through the organization’s social justice initiative, “Inspire Change,” the team announced Thursday. The program was borne of a contentious 2017 season, when eight Lions joined players across the NFL in taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem to
Grassroots nonprofits with dynamic founders can struggle to ensure their missions live on beyond the leader. That’s something the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program began mulling over a few years back, before it had even hit the 10-year mark. The tutoring, athletics, mentorship, socio-emotional skill building, college- and career-readiness and
Jeezy may be from Atlanta, but he loves Detroit. Friday, Jeezy and Detroit City Council Pro Tempore Mary Sheffield joined forces to put on a Holiday Toy Drive just outside of the Downtown area prior to Jeezy’s appearance at Little Caesars Arena.
Claressa Shields felt as if she had hit a million-dollar jackpot when she won gold in the Olympic debut of women’s boxing at the 2012 London Games. But the 17-year-old returned to her hometown of Flint, Michigan, to find her future held no more promise than before. “I had so
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and why not spend it giving back? Nonprofits and organizations across Metro Detroit are always looking for more helping hands — especially this time of year. Here’s a list of just some of the organizations where you can give back to
Coach Khali Sweeney, Founder and CEO of the Downtown Boxing Gym talks about the importance of education and investing in the future of Detroit with Lou Goldhaber, EXP|DET Podcast Host and Chief of Staff at Broder & Sachse Real Estate.
Khali Sweeney has a proven formula for educating students: “Books before boxing.” He created a family environment at the Downtown Boxing Gym in Detroit and an afterschool program flexible enough to address each student’s specific needs. The results are impressive: Since its founding in 2007, the program has reported a
Linebacker Tahir Whitehead made his last tackle for the Lions almost two years ago, but the impact of his time in Detroit endures. While with the Lions, whom he’ll face as a Raider on Sunday, Whitehead was introduced to the Downtown Boxing Gym, a program providing academic help, mentoring, boxing