The key to happiness is finding something you love to do and using it to help others. That’s why I became a police officer. I also love to drink beer, eat steak, and walk around the house in my boxer shorts when no one else is home – but I haven’t found a way to help anyone by doing so.
Thankfully, back in 2014, I found boxing at the Atlanta Police Athletic League. Each year, Atlanta’s Finest get together with Atlanta’s Bravest at the PAL Guns N’ Hoses Boxing Championship to slug it out in front of a crowd of friends, family, and co-workers. All proceeds go towards PAL recreational sports leagues, tutoring, after-school care, transportation, and mentorship for underprivileged kids in the city.
The police usually take home the trophy, but the fire guys definitely hold their own and they should be proud. While I simply fight at these events, the police officers who dedicate themselves to running the Police Athletic League are truly doing something special. I hope Police Athletic Leagues around the country live on forever.
The beautiful thing is this: When you’re raising money for a cause you believe in, can you really lose even if you’re outpointed on the judges’ scorecards?
In 2016, I began to look for other outlets for contributing to charity with my fists. It was then that I found Brawl for a Cause. Brawl for a Cause is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that gives everyday people like me the opportunity to create a charity campaign worth fighting for and step into the ring with an opponent to do battle. The winner’s charity pockets 60 percent of the combined donations, while the loser’s cause bags the remaining 40 percent. The beautiful thing is this: When you’re raising money for a cause you believe in, can you really lose even if you’re outpointed on the judges’ scorecards?
Brawl for a Cause was founded in 2012 by Atlanta native, Matt Thomas. Matt’s very first event was dubbed “Bulldawg Brawl” and it pitted rival fraternities at the University of Georgia against one another, all while raising money for children affected by HIV and AIDS. Following graduation, Thomas grew his non-profit from a fraternity slugfest into a white-collar boxing spectacle entitled “Buckhead Brawl” – an event targeting Atlanta’s CEO’s, local celebrities, professionals, and everyday folks with good intentions in their hearts and a fighting spirit in their bellies.
Back in the summer of 2016, I stepped into a time machine to revisit my old college days by competing in Bulldawg Brawl at Hedges on Broad — a college bar in the middle of UGA’s main strip. It was a raucous crowd and the place stunk of spilled beer and perfume, just as I remembered of every bar on Easton Avenue in New Brunswick, NJ during my days on the banks of the old Raritan at Rutgers University. I had a blast.
With my father as my cornerman, I fought to raise money for one Metro-Atlanta police department’s Police Explorer’s program. We pursed over a thousand dollars and it went towards new uniforms for kids aged 14-21, who in turn give back to their own community by serving in a junior-police capacity.
In my personal experience, Brawl for a Cause made possible the creation of a beautiful cycle where the generous could help finance good people to do selfless acts for others.
In my personal experience, Brawl for a Cause made possible the creation of a beautiful cycle where the generous could help finance good people to do selfless acts for others. It was a perfect example of paying it forward, and we’re doing it again on February 17, 2018 on the field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the home of the Atlanta Falcons.
I’ll be fighting for the Police Explorers once again this year, and thanks to an incredibly generous donation from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of New Jersey, donations have already doubled what we were able to achieve back in 2016! Seeing the contributions coming in has been a reminder of how truly blessed I am to have such amazing folks just a click, text, or phone call away. But the best part of all is that the fundraising we’ve accomplished is small potatoes compared to what Brawl for a Cause is doing overall.
We can all pontificate who is to blame for the sicknesses within our society, but in this case, a guy like Eddie Capel is actually putting his ass on the line to do something about it.
We’re two weeks away from Fight Night and over $100,000 has been pledged for 30 different causes. Benefiting causes include aid for domestic violence victims, an outlet for the children of incarcerated parents, clean water initiatives, church missions, the Wounded Warrior Program, cancer, diabetes and brain injury research, wildlife preservation, St. Jude’s, and more. It’s a truly humbling undertaking to be a part of.
It would be impossible to describe how proud I am to be a part of this year’s Brawl for a Cause event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium without mentioning Eddie Capel, a 56-year-old Tech CEO, who is on the verge of singlehandedly raising 50K for Camp Hope.
Camp Hope is a haven for the 1 in 28 children of parents currently incarcerated in the US. We can all pontificate who is to blame for the sicknesses within our society, but in this case, a guy like Eddie Capel is actually putting his ass on the line to do something about it. When statistics show that 71 percent of children born under these conditions wind up incarcerated themselves, we’re lucky to have people willing to be bludgeoned in a ring to create some change and bring that percentage down.
Brawl for a Cause at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 17 will be a Saturday night of bloody noses, busted lips, and black eyes, with guests in attendance such as boxing legends Evander “The Real Deal” Holyfield and Roy Jones Jr. If you only know Holyfield as the guy with delicious ears that Mike Tyson so famously munched on, then you’d be unaware of how much of a benevolent force he has been in Atlanta and across the nation. He has provided years of service to Police Athletic Leagues.
Brawl for a Cause at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will also be a night of casino games, high-end memorabilia raffles, and people from all different walks of life coming together to help their fellow man. I’m chomping at the bit to be a part of something that has morphed from a small-time fraternity smoker to a major event that will really make an impact for those in need.
The generosity of the many donors making this event such a resounding success restores my faith in humanity and is a testament to the great nation we live in.
As you can see, Brawl for a Cause is a charity organization hurdling towards the stars at the speed of sound. While its first event netted $6,000 just six years ago, brawlers have already combined to raise over $100,000 with over two weeks to go — they are in search of Brawl’s stated goal of $200,000! The generosity of the many donors making this event such a resounding success restores my faith in humanity and is a testament to the great nation we live in. You can browse Brawl’s many worthy tax-deductible charitable campaigns here, including my own. You can also purchase tickets to a historic night of fights at the newest state-of-the-art stadium in the country here. Brawl on!
