UPDATED APRIL 3RD: Due to some last-minute sanctioning complications, my opponent and Chris's opponent respectfully withdrew from the fight. The event will go on as scheduled, and I’ll still enter the ring to battle for Arete and shine a light on our kids. The only difference is I won’t get punched in the face. Sounds like a win! After six long months of training, it’s not the end I wanted, but hugely grateful for the journey. Arete will still receive all your donations, and there’s still time to push us past our goal of $25,000. Thank you all for your support and encouragement!
UPDATED MARCH 11TH: Some exciting news to share! That young man joining me in the photo? That's 15-year-old Chris Coleman -- Arete scholar and Bright Futures Academy freshman -- who stepped up last week and will be competing in a junior bout on April 6th. And why would he take on something so challenging and new? "I want to raise money for Arete to help give other kids the same opportunity I have." You're my hero, Chris! Now let's go get after it!
UPDATED FEBRUARY 25TH: Want to see what your donation can do? Check this life-giving story that your support is already helping to write. No dream too big, no gift too small!
What would motivate an out-of-shape, 50-year-old father of five to fight? In a word, failure.
We’re failing our kids. Barely 20% of 4th grade students from lower income families, those eligible for free/reduced school lunch, read at or above a proficient level. Only half read at even a basic level — and the numbers are no better in math and improve little with age.
The outlook for these children is not bright. Lagging high school graduation rates, limited career opportunities, and a lifetime of unreached potential. Gifts are left undiscovered and unused.
But that need not be the final word for our kids.
The organization I work for, Arete Scholars Fund, is helping rewrite that story by offering course-correcting opportunities to children in need. We operate from a simple belief — that every child from every family is created with unique talents and deserves the opportunity to learn in an environment where their gifts flourish.
That means empowering parents — through need-based K-12 scholarships — to choose schools that best suit their kids. And since 2010, we’ve done that with more than 8,400 life-giving scholarships worth nearly $37 million.
The results are inspiring. Parental and student satisfaction are rising, academic achievement and social skills improving, graduation rates skyrocketing, and lives and communities changing.
That’s a story worth fighting for. And that’s literally what I’m going to do when I climb in the boxing ring on Saturday, April 6th as a competitor in the 2019 Brawl for a Cause.
Will you please stand in my corner and help me raise awareness and support to grow our work?
THREE WAYS YOU CAN JOIN THE FIGHT
- Donate. Your tax-deductible gift will help us create new educational opportunities for more children in need.
- Attend. I'd love to see you - and hear you heckle - on fight night. Enjoy a black tie date night, black eyes & blood.
- Share. Please share my campaign with friends and on social media to help me and the team reach our goal.
Thank you! And I hope to see you on April 6th!
ABOUT ARETE SCHOLARS FUND
Arete Scholars gives kids in need a chance by giving their parents a choice. Through K-12 scholarships and student-focused programming, Arete is helping transform the lives of those who face the greatest obstacles to academic and personal achievement.
