Eastside Boxing Gym Fire Fundraiser
byThe non-profit Eastside Boxing Gym in Vancouver took a severe blow on Saturday morning when a fire broke out in its building on Commercial Drive, also claiming Woodland Smokehouse. The gym is still standing but suffered smoke and water damage to gloves, a heavy bag, and the boxing ring [Source: News1130]
The Eastside Boxing Gym benefits from the annual Aprons for Gloves charity boxing event:
In 2012, the founders of Aprons for Gloves began boxing as a way to unwind and keep in shape. While training at the neighbourhood gym, however, they found something far beyond stress relief and physical fitness.
The gym was filled with local East Side kids who, with the support of the coaches, were learning first-hand about persistence, respect and self-confidence both in and outside of the ring. In Spring of 2012, the gym was shut down, leaving many troubled youth without this safe and constructive environment. With this in mind, the Restaurant Rumble fundraiser was born.
Through Restaurant Rumble, Vancouver’s Gastown and East Side service industry fights to save the East Side Boxing gym. From bartenders to servers, managers and owners, members of the restaurant community form teams, undergo rigorous training and raise funds to box one another in the Restaurant Rumble ring. All proceeds from the fundraising and the event go toward the reopening of the gym and reviving its programs for local youth.
Eastside Boxing Gym Fire Fundraiser
You can support the Eastside Boxing Gym to get it back on its feet through this online fundraising campaign and by attending a screening of Restaurant Rumble: Episode 4 at The Bottleneck on Sunday, November 10, 2013 starting at 5:00pm. Admission is by donation.
From the organizers: “This gym not only represents the community spirit of the Eastside but has become a safe place for at risk youth to show up after school and engage in a positive and healthy environment. The closing of Eastside Box Club would have a devastating impact on the countless number of volunteers, coaches, trainer and participants who call it home.”
Follow Aprons for Gloves on Twitter and Facebook for more information about the regularly scheduled Restaurant Rumble and current fundraising efforts for the gym.
