Wisconsin Golden Gloves Charities
Donation protected
I am Kathy Zaffke-Meyer, President of Wisconsin Golden Gloves Charities, Incorporated. Our region includes the State of Wisconsin with the exception of Barron County and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Wisconsin Golden Gloves is a not-for-profit organization run completely by volunteers. Our Board of Directors, Officials and Coaches are devoted to building a better life for each and every young man that they encounter. We are all mentors both in and out of the boxing realm and each boxer becomes a part of our unique family.
"It takes a village" That statement is so true. Boxing coaches, officials, etc. go out of their way to make a better life for each boxer they encounter. And it's not just those who are directly involved. Even if a person's family does not partake in any of the boxing activities there are wives, husbands, children, parents, etc who are indirectly giving to the sport by allowing their family members the time devoted and very often their personal money when needed.
After the passing of my Dad in 2011 I have taken over the operation of the WI Golden Gloves. Both of my parents were very devoted to the young men involved in the sport of boxing. So much so that they often took money out of their own pockets to make sure the boxers had everything they needed for competition and sometimes for personal needs too. My life was all about boxing as I grew up. I admired my parents as I watched them devote their time and money to devloping boys into men. It was heartwarming at my Dad's funeral to see so many past boxers speak about what my parents had done for them in life. In honor of my father and mother, I am trying to continue that tradition but I just cannot come up with enough money of my own to make this all possible.
Each spring amateur boxers all over the country compete on a local level to become the Champion of their region. Those Champions move onto the National Tournament held in a different location each year.
The Wisconsin Golden Gloves tournament is held in Racine, Wisconsin. This is our only source of income. I continue to fall short on what is needed to get our State Champions to the National Tournament each year. In 2014 and 2015 we drove to Las Vegas, Nevada for the National Tournament where 30 Golden Gloves Franchises come together to compete for the National Golden Gloves Title. We just could not afford the airfare. This year the National Tournament will be held at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah from May 16th through May 21st, 2016.
Golden Gloves does not charge an entry fee to any boxer ever. The State Champions do not pay for their trip to the National Tournament. This is all dictated at a national level so that each young man has an equal chance to advance. This means that I must get a team of at least 8 boxers to the National Tournament each year and cover all of their expenses such as travel, lodging, uniforms, meals, etc. Airfare alone this year will come to $7,400.
Driving the long distances is very difficult on our boxers and coaches. We drive straight through because we all have jobs back home and cannot take extra travel time off from work. We have run into horrible weather in the mountainous regions putting us all in dangerous situations. The coaches and I do all of the driving but it still leaves our boxers with "car lag". These young men typically work out daily so to be sitting in a vehicle and sleep sitting up for more than 24 hours puts them at a disadvantage. We leave WI on a Saturday morning and arrive at our location on a Sunday evening. The boxing begins on Monday and ends the following Saturday. Then we must pack it up and drive straight through to get home in time for rest before we all have to go to work or school that Monday. Some of the boxers travel from northern WI to Racine just to get in another vehicle to drive to the National Tournament.
The WI Golden Gloves State Tournament held each year is our only source of income. Our expenses to put on this tournament include sanction fees ($900), venue rental ($4,000), awards ($900), annual boxing ring maintenance ($400), and annual equipment maintenance ($200). We sell enough tickets to earn about $8,500 each year. We get about $4,500 in donations each year. This leave us with about $6,600 to get a team to the National Tournament.
This year our tournament is held at the Dr. John Bryant Community Center in Racine, Wisconsin with our preliminaries taking place on April 16th, semi-finals on April 23rd and finals on April 30th, 2016.
I believe we could draw a much larger crowd and gain more financial support if we could afford to be in a larger local venue and actually have an advertising budget. It's difficult to get donations for something that so few people know anything about. It seems that many businesses and individuals are not interested in sponsoring our boxers because they are a mix of young men from 16 to 34 years old rather than just a youth group. Most of our boxers range in the ages of 16 to 23.
All of us who volunteer our time and sometimes our money believe that the need for guidance and support does not stop at age 18. Very often young men are looking for or are in need of more guidance once they are out on their own and dealing with adult situations. Also, many people think of boxers as "troubled youth" but this is not the case. I have written many letters to many colleges and employers asking for permission for a boxer to travel to a National Tournament.
When we travel to the National Tournament we are required to have at least 8 boxers but no more than 10; 2 volunteer officials (judges, refs, timekeepers, etc.); 2 volunteer coaches and at least 1 board member but preferably 2 board members. This makes a group of 15 people. Nobody can afford to take off from work and pay their own way so it is the responsibility of each franchise to get this group to the National Tournament.
Airfare for 15 people will come to about $7,400. Lodging for the week will come to about $5,000. Each traveler is given $25 per day for meal expenses so that comes to $2,625. I would like to give more like many other franchises do but we just don't have it. Uniforms for the boxers averages out to about $1,500.
I am asking for more than is needed this year because I would like to hit the ground running next year. Since there is never enough money to have something to start with the next year I have been using my own money to get things going and very often do not end up with money to pay myself back. I am running out of money myself so I really need help to keep this going for our young men.
There are some young men in WI that cannot even afford to make it to our local tournament so we are missing out on some good talent. I would like to start a program that will help defray the cost of a boxer needing to travel from a far distance. Each boxer is required to register with USA Boxing each year and often coaches are taking that money out of their own pockets because many of these young men, especially those in the inner cities, cannot afford that $80 fee. I would like to start a program that will take that burden off of the coaches who already give so much of themselves to these young men.
A typical coach in WI works a full time job and has a family yet he or she is at the gym every day of the week and available to their boxers 24/7 if they ever need anything at all. I have seen coaches take unpaid time from work, pay for all of the gas to a show, pay for motels when needed, etc. Coaches must also pay an annual fee to USA Boxing for both being a coach and registering their gym. It would mean so much to me if I could help them out.
I want to renew the interest in amateur boxing in Wisconsin and throughout the country. It meant so much to my Dad. I also very much enjoy the high I get when I am able to take young men to places they may neer have otherwise had a chance to see. Seeing the faces of these young men when they are on an airplane for the first time or when they see mountains for the first time brings out feelings that I cannot describe and sometimes leaves me with tears of happiness. The thankfulness and respect I receive from the young men lets me know that they will have more security in life knowing that people are out there with their best interests at heart.
I need at least half of what I am asking for as soon as possible so that I can get the flights booked, hotel rooms reserved and uniforms purchased. The remainder can come in more slowly as it will be used toward building next years tournament.
I can only offer my sincere gratitude for believing in and supporting the young men of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and some ringside tickets to our local show for the finals this year or for the local tournament in 2017.
"It's better to build boys than mend men"
"It takes a village" That statement is so true. Boxing coaches, officials, etc. go out of their way to make a better life for each boxer they encounter. And it's not just those who are directly involved. Even if a person's family does not partake in any of the boxing activities there are wives, husbands, children, parents, etc who are indirectly giving to the sport by allowing their family members the time devoted and very often their personal money when needed.
After the passing of my Dad in 2011 I have taken over the operation of the WI Golden Gloves. Both of my parents were very devoted to the young men involved in the sport of boxing. So much so that they often took money out of their own pockets to make sure the boxers had everything they needed for competition and sometimes for personal needs too. My life was all about boxing as I grew up. I admired my parents as I watched them devote their time and money to devloping boys into men. It was heartwarming at my Dad's funeral to see so many past boxers speak about what my parents had done for them in life. In honor of my father and mother, I am trying to continue that tradition but I just cannot come up with enough money of my own to make this all possible.
Each spring amateur boxers all over the country compete on a local level to become the Champion of their region. Those Champions move onto the National Tournament held in a different location each year.
The Wisconsin Golden Gloves tournament is held in Racine, Wisconsin. This is our only source of income. I continue to fall short on what is needed to get our State Champions to the National Tournament each year. In 2014 and 2015 we drove to Las Vegas, Nevada for the National Tournament where 30 Golden Gloves Franchises come together to compete for the National Golden Gloves Title. We just could not afford the airfare. This year the National Tournament will be held at the Salt Palace in Salt Lake City, Utah from May 16th through May 21st, 2016.
Golden Gloves does not charge an entry fee to any boxer ever. The State Champions do not pay for their trip to the National Tournament. This is all dictated at a national level so that each young man has an equal chance to advance. This means that I must get a team of at least 8 boxers to the National Tournament each year and cover all of their expenses such as travel, lodging, uniforms, meals, etc. Airfare alone this year will come to $7,400.
Driving the long distances is very difficult on our boxers and coaches. We drive straight through because we all have jobs back home and cannot take extra travel time off from work. We have run into horrible weather in the mountainous regions putting us all in dangerous situations. The coaches and I do all of the driving but it still leaves our boxers with "car lag". These young men typically work out daily so to be sitting in a vehicle and sleep sitting up for more than 24 hours puts them at a disadvantage. We leave WI on a Saturday morning and arrive at our location on a Sunday evening. The boxing begins on Monday and ends the following Saturday. Then we must pack it up and drive straight through to get home in time for rest before we all have to go to work or school that Monday. Some of the boxers travel from northern WI to Racine just to get in another vehicle to drive to the National Tournament.
The WI Golden Gloves State Tournament held each year is our only source of income. Our expenses to put on this tournament include sanction fees ($900), venue rental ($4,000), awards ($900), annual boxing ring maintenance ($400), and annual equipment maintenance ($200). We sell enough tickets to earn about $8,500 each year. We get about $4,500 in donations each year. This leave us with about $6,600 to get a team to the National Tournament.
This year our tournament is held at the Dr. John Bryant Community Center in Racine, Wisconsin with our preliminaries taking place on April 16th, semi-finals on April 23rd and finals on April 30th, 2016.
I believe we could draw a much larger crowd and gain more financial support if we could afford to be in a larger local venue and actually have an advertising budget. It's difficult to get donations for something that so few people know anything about. It seems that many businesses and individuals are not interested in sponsoring our boxers because they are a mix of young men from 16 to 34 years old rather than just a youth group. Most of our boxers range in the ages of 16 to 23.
All of us who volunteer our time and sometimes our money believe that the need for guidance and support does not stop at age 18. Very often young men are looking for or are in need of more guidance once they are out on their own and dealing with adult situations. Also, many people think of boxers as "troubled youth" but this is not the case. I have written many letters to many colleges and employers asking for permission for a boxer to travel to a National Tournament.
When we travel to the National Tournament we are required to have at least 8 boxers but no more than 10; 2 volunteer officials (judges, refs, timekeepers, etc.); 2 volunteer coaches and at least 1 board member but preferably 2 board members. This makes a group of 15 people. Nobody can afford to take off from work and pay their own way so it is the responsibility of each franchise to get this group to the National Tournament.
Airfare for 15 people will come to about $7,400. Lodging for the week will come to about $5,000. Each traveler is given $25 per day for meal expenses so that comes to $2,625. I would like to give more like many other franchises do but we just don't have it. Uniforms for the boxers averages out to about $1,500.
I am asking for more than is needed this year because I would like to hit the ground running next year. Since there is never enough money to have something to start with the next year I have been using my own money to get things going and very often do not end up with money to pay myself back. I am running out of money myself so I really need help to keep this going for our young men.
There are some young men in WI that cannot even afford to make it to our local tournament so we are missing out on some good talent. I would like to start a program that will help defray the cost of a boxer needing to travel from a far distance. Each boxer is required to register with USA Boxing each year and often coaches are taking that money out of their own pockets because many of these young men, especially those in the inner cities, cannot afford that $80 fee. I would like to start a program that will take that burden off of the coaches who already give so much of themselves to these young men.
A typical coach in WI works a full time job and has a family yet he or she is at the gym every day of the week and available to their boxers 24/7 if they ever need anything at all. I have seen coaches take unpaid time from work, pay for all of the gas to a show, pay for motels when needed, etc. Coaches must also pay an annual fee to USA Boxing for both being a coach and registering their gym. It would mean so much to me if I could help them out.
I want to renew the interest in amateur boxing in Wisconsin and throughout the country. It meant so much to my Dad. I also very much enjoy the high I get when I am able to take young men to places they may neer have otherwise had a chance to see. Seeing the faces of these young men when they are on an airplane for the first time or when they see mountains for the first time brings out feelings that I cannot describe and sometimes leaves me with tears of happiness. The thankfulness and respect I receive from the young men lets me know that they will have more security in life knowing that people are out there with their best interests at heart.
I need at least half of what I am asking for as soon as possible so that I can get the flights booked, hotel rooms reserved and uniforms purchased. The remainder can come in more slowly as it will be used toward building next years tournament.
I can only offer my sincere gratitude for believing in and supporting the young men of Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and some ringside tickets to our local show for the finals this year or for the local tournament in 2017.
"It's better to build boys than mend men"
Organizer
Kathy Zaffke-Meyer
Organizer
Wausaukee, WI
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