The North Shore News - A real contender
Gym owners donate money to kids
Kevin Reynolds, a seven-time Golden Gloves champion who nearly qualified for the 2004 Olympics, knows how important it is for young athletes to have a helping hand along the way.
Currently the No. 2-ranked heavyweight boxer in Canada, Reynolds, 26, admits that he wouldn’t have achieved his success in the ring without the mentorship of several different coaches along the way — or the financial help from those outside the ring who enabled him to train for the Olympics and pursue his professional fighting career.
That’s why he and business partner Richard Pelcz recently donated a cheque for $4,800 to Athletes for Kids (A4K), a non-profit organization founded on the North Shore and dedicated to making sport more accessible to disadvantaged kids.
Last July, when Reynolds and Pelcz, a 3rd degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, launched Contenders Training Studio, a club that teaches authentic boxing and kick boxing training along with cutting-edge fitness techniques, they had a goal.
“One of the missions of our company is that we want to give back [to the community],” said Reynolds, who is trained by Manny Sobral, a former world welterweight champ who is also the athletic spokesperson for A4K.
In addition to making the donation to A4K, monies raised during a fundraising card on Feb. 10 — which included bouts between lawyers, stockbrokers and television stars, to name a few — the pair also donate free exercise classes to Covenant House, an organization that helps out street youth.