Stepping into the ring for charity

Eighteen boxers step into the ring, but Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre Foundation and McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation emerge victorious.

Champions for Charity is a corporate-boxing charity event presented by Mandy Bujold, a 2016 Olympian, two-time Pan Am Games gold medalist and a Commonwealth Games bronze medalist.

The inaugural event featured eighteen business professionals, each with no prior boxing experience, testing their strength and stamina by enduring 13 weeks of intense training before stepping into the ring for the fight night on April 12, 2019 at The Walper Hotel in Kitchener. All matches were set according to Boxing Canada rules and regulations.

An event to give back

Mandy wanted to organize a corporate-boxing charity event in Kitchener-Waterloo for years. Upon learning about Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation and the importance of donor support for Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre (JHCC) and McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH) specifically, she knew that The Foundation was the perfect charity for her event.

“It takes a lot of courage to step through those ropes.”

Ironically, she needed the services of MCH within days of partnering with The Foundation.

“It was 20 weeks into my pregnancy when an ultrasound revealed a potential issue with my daughter’s heart,” says Mandy. “Luckily, none of the feared complications emerged. In the end, it showed me how blessed we are to have these kinds of health care facilities so close to home and it reinforced why it was the cause to support through Champions for Charity.”

Champions raising funds

All boxers set up personal fundraising pages and were required to raise a minimum of $1,000. Thanks to the support of the boxers, event partners, sponsors and guests who came out to watch the matches, $160,000 was raised for Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre Foundation and McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation.

“A huge thank you to our partners and sponsors,” says Mandy, “and a big thank you to our champions for stepping up to the challenge and into the ring. It takes a lot of courage to step through those ropes and I applaud them for their commitment, discipline and determination.”

To learn more about Champions for Charity, visit hamiltonhealth.ca/championsforcharity