TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – March 26, 2014) – Canada’s leading professional staffing company, Eagle Professional Resources Inc. (Eagle), is proud to announce that it will be the presenting title sponsor of the 3rd Annual Fight To End Cancer. The event will feature ten “white-collar” men and women, with no prior boxing experience, who will literally be fighting to end cancer during a black-tie gala in support of Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation on Saturday, May 31, 2014.
Hanging up their suits and lacing up their boots all in the name of a good cause was the decision that each member of Eagle’s Fight To End Cancer 2014 Fight Team made when they volunteered to step into a boxing ring. The team is made up of executives from organizations across Toronto, including Eagle’s own Brendhan Malone, National Sales Director for Telecommunications. Having already been training for three months and well aware of the challenges to come over the next two months, Malone is both looking forward to the challenge and honoured to be part of the event.
“Preparing for my bout has already proven to be an extensive task and a rewarding experience,” said Malone. “Training sessions with the team at Kingsway Boxing Club have been intense, grueling and sometimes painful, but knowing that our small fight will contribute to the much larger fight to end cancer keeps us all motivated.”
This isn’t the first time a member of the Eagle Team has stepped into the ring for charity. In 2011, Eagle’s CEO, Kevin Dee, participated in Fight for the Cure, a similar fundraising event that took place in Ottawa. It was then and there that FTEC’s own founder and owner of Kingsway Boxing Club, Jennifer Huggins, first met Kevin as she worked as a coach in his corner for the Olympic-style boxing competition.
“This event provides much needed exposure and financial support to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, and its fight to end cancer. Jennifer Huggins’ vision and drive can be attributed to the success of this event and I am proud to be able to play a part in it,” said Dee. “I’m looking forward to an elegant evening with great food, great company, great entertainment and mostly the opportunity to give back with someone else giving blood!”
Through the involvement of business professionals, like the members of the Fight To End Cancer Fight Team and the companies they represent, the sport of boxing is finding a new lease on life – headlining fundraising events. With so many different fundraisers currently saturating the market, boxing is a welcome change from the status quo and has been enthusiastically embraced by corporate culture as a powerful, fun and inspirational way to raise money and help in the fight to find a cure.
The enthusiasm from members of the business community to get involved and support the cause through participation in the sport of boxing has been impressive. When asked for his input on why boxing seems to be such a desirable fundraising activity for corporate culture, Sonny Wong, Chief Official of Boxing Canada, said “In today’s health conscious society, we concentrate on healthy eating and staying fit. I can think of no better workout than a boxing program. Perhaps, the Fight To End Cancer draws in people who have come to a point in their lives where they are wanting to help make a change and the focus on fitness for them, is key. I think boxing’s benefits from a health point of view, plus the thrill of actually stepping in the ring and fighting for a good cause is important to people.”
Additionally, from his personal experience of training amateur corporate boxers, the Fight To End Cancer’s Fight Team Captain and head coach at Kingsway Boxing Club (official training facility for all FTEC fighters), Virgil Barrow, commented “Chess is often used to describe the mindset inside the boxing ring between two opponents. As the Fight Team Captain, I would argue that it’s more like playing chess against yourself. You must train two people to fight each other and understand both fighter’s strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day, corporate charity boxing is great for the sport. It allows people that never thought about boxing as an opportunity – for them to step inside the ring, to fight for a great cause.”
Boxing is stepping back into the spotlight as a popular sporting experience, thanks in large part to charity boxing fundraisers like the Fight To End Cancer. Through financial support and physical participation from the business community, the great sport of boxing has entered a renaissance period – as a champion in philanthropy.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/1813164#ixzz2xevMp0Ot
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