Just beyond the hustle and bustle of Eastern Market and downtown Detroit, a grey brick industrial building sits neatly at the corner of E. Vernor Highway and Beaufait Street. Each day, like clockwork, vans pull up and children excitedly rush in. Happy chatter and boundless energy fills the air. And – with patience, persistence, dedication, tough love, compassion and care – lives are changed within those four walls. The children who enter the doors of the Downtown Boxing Gym emerge as the best version of themselves with hope, promise, knowledge, skills, strength, determination, and the tools they need to pursue their dreams. Our FREE, out-of-school-time academic and athletic program for Detroit students is the brainchild of Khali Sweeney – a Detroit native on a mission to build a better world. Together with executive director, Jessica Hauser, and a hardworking team of coaches, tutors, staff and volunteers, the program has steadily grown since 2007 – and racked up a 100% high school graduation rate every year in the process. Our gym doesn't train heavyweight boxers, we train heavyweight scholars. DBG is a safe haven from the streets. We knock out inequality in an imperfect educational system, level the playing field, and give students a fighting chance at a winning future. We train kids for life.