{"id":279,"date":"2017-07-14T14:26:33","date_gmt":"2017-07-14T19:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okc2017.nextgenradio.org\/?p=279"},"modified":"2017-07-17T10:50:38","modified_gmt":"2017-07-17T15:50:38","slug":"southeast-oklahoma-city-boxing-fights-for-its-community-in-the-face-of-budget-cuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okc2017.nextgenradio.org\/southeast-oklahoma-city-boxing-fights-for-its-community-in-the-face-of-budget-cuts\/","title":{"rendered":"Southeast Oklahoma City Boxing Gym Casts A Fight For Its Community In Face of Budget Cuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you were to ask Marcus McMinn — known as Coach Mac at the boxing club he helps run — what his passions are today, he\u2019d tell you they\u2019re different than they were 16 \u00a0years ago.<\/h4>\n

Unlike the other boxing programs in the Oklahoma City area, Sims Boxing Academy<\/a> is different: It\u2019s a non-profit that\u00a0focuses on providing at-risk youth a variety of services. They include tutoring and homework assistance, nutrition and fitness management as well as a safe place to hang out and meet new friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cBoxing is not the priority here; building these children up is what our priority is,\u201d \u00a0McMinn said.<\/p>\n\nhttps:\/\/okc2017.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2017\/07\/BoxingClub_MIX_final.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Lennie Carey, who came to Oklahoma City from the Bronx in New York decades ago, is the only female coach at the club. At age 64, she said she\u2019s been boxing since she was 6 years old. This is the first program of its kind she\u2019s seen.<\/p>\n

\u201cBesides being coaches, we\u2019re mentors,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have Christmas parties. We have after-school parties … if the school has a problem with one of our kids, we\u2019re there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dressed with two gold chains and graying\u00a0dreadlocks down her back, Coach Lennie has a warm smile and quick wit. Once training starts, the young ones have her undivided attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt means a lot to the kids and to the neighborhood. Because we keep them here, keep them from going out and getting in trouble,” she said. “We can\u2019t save everybody, but we can save a lot of [the children].”<\/p>\n

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A student practices punching during a class. Later, he’ll get dinner, which is provided by the local church every night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Located just off Southeast 44th St. and Sunnyvale Road, the academy sits in the middle of a dilapidated strip mall. A Family Dollar, a church, a beauty supply store and Church\u2019s Chicken share the space with empty storefronts.<\/p>\n

Coach Mac came to the club after his longtime buddy from the U.S. Army, Lavell Sims, recruited him to come work there. The coach says he and Sims see part of their mission to encourage the youth of this community to take pride in where they\u2019re from and a belief in their future.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe (leaders think of) this as a black community \u2026 (with) no hope,\u201d McMinn said. \u201cWe can put titles on the community all we want as adults but it’s not fair to put the titles on these kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

The boxing establishment is located in one of the highest crime areas in the Del City suburb<\/a>. High incidence of crime is typically linked to poverty, McMinn said, and that is the case in this community.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the American Psychological Association<\/a>, these conditions create a ripple effect on education. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPoverty associated with schools and communities … (creating what are) known as \u2018toxic stressors\u2019 because they are severe, sustained and not buffered by supportive relationships,\u201d the study finds.<\/p>\n

According to former Congressman Jabar Shumate, Oklahoma faces significant budget cuts. Communities like the one this boxing club serves are the first to see sacrifices when funds get cut, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of the first programs to go are programs that really help [the] development of those that face [social and economic challenges],\u201d Shumate said.<\/p>\n

But these are the challenges that draw Coach Mac and the other coaches to Sims. They hope they can change at least a few lives in the short three hours Sims Boxing Club is open — four nights a week.<\/p>\n