Amazon celebrated Prime Day, two days of ‘epic deals,’ with a special gift to Downtown Boxing Gym students and other children across Metro Detroit. The online retail giant set up blue and white balloons inside DBG and shelves stacked with brand new hockey helmets, activewear, boxing equipment, and other sports gear and announced more than $300,000 in donations to 14 local nonprofits serving youth, including DBG.
“This is not just a boxing gym. We have real classrooms with real certified teachers, reading intervention, math intervention, financial literacy, computer coding… we just want to continue to give the resources to the kids in our community,” said Khali Sweeney, DBG’s Founder and CEO. “Athletics is an ice breaker to a bigger conversation. If we have some fun, hang out, laugh and joke a little bit, break a sweat, at the end of the day I can ask you pretty much anything and we can find out what’s really going on in your life.”
“In all of the communities we operate in, we’re not only committed to being a good employer, but also a good neighbor,” said Ian Conyers, Amazon’s Head of Community Engagement for Detroit. “We’ve seen the power of youth sports to build character and make a positive impact on our children and our communities. That’s why this Prime Day we’re thrilled to be able to invest in the health and well-being of young people in Detroit and beyond.”
The new gear comes at a time when DBG (founded in 2007) is celebrating 15 years of student achievement and working hard to expand and serve more students. Providing brand new sports gear to 200+ children, ages 8-18, is costly. Having the support of Amazon helps lighten the load.
“I want to thank Amazon for the generous donation and support. We need it. We can’t do it without our corporate partners,” Khali added. “This is going to go toward getting kids off our waiting list and doing the work we’re doing in the community.”
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans, a self proclaimed “Amazon nut,” was among those on hand for the announcement. He noted that he was present for the ribbon cutting of DBG’s current building on East Vernor Highway in 2015.
“I was excited then, I’m more excited now because sustainability is important,” Evans said. “2021, 2022 and they’re still here and thriving.”
“This warms the cockles of my heart,” Evans continued. “Amazon taking $300,000 and putting in the community in organizations that it understands are the backbone, in many respects, of communities is noteworthy.”
Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $6 billion in Michigan and has created more than 26,000 jobs statewide.
If you missed Prime Day and still want to support DBG, there are still ways to help. DBG has an Amazon wish list with items that would benefit students and our program. Click HERE to see the wish list.
You can also support the DBG any time you shop. Just go to smile.amazon.com, create an account, choose the Downtown Boxing Gym as your charity, and every time you make a purchase, Amazon will donate .5% of the sale directly to DBG. From all of us at the Downtown Boxing Gym, thank you and happy shopping.