Augusta Boxing Club officials appeared before the Augusta Commission at the June 30 meeting and requested $200,000 in American Rescue Plan funding but ended up leaving with even more.
District 10 Commissioner John Clarke made a substitute motion to add an additional $100,000 and that measure passed with a 6-3 vote.
Lenny Pulley, chairman of the Augusta Boxing Club, board told commissioners COVID-19 had put a major financial strain on the organization and many of the parents could not afford to pay the fee for their child to participate.
“We have about 50 kids that simply can’t afford it and we cover the cost, we can’t put them back on the streets,” Pulley said.
MORE: County issues reminders on outdoor watering restrictions
The club also had to purchase the building on Walton Way it has occupied rent free for most of its existence. The sudden need to purchase the building plunged the group into debt. According to Pulley, Director Ray Whitfield has been forced to open up his own wallet to keep the bills paid.
District 6 Commissioner Ben Hasan commented he had long been a supporter of the club and the group was always very transparent and communicative with the commission as well as providing the vital service of keeping Augusta’s most at-risk kids in the gym and off the streets.
“I’ve done some research just this morning and the cost of incarcerating a youth in the state of Georgia costs $309 per day, which comes to $112,000 a year, that’s for one youth,” Hasan said.
Despite heaping praise on the Augusta Boxing Club, Hasan voted against funding the group.
District 8 Commissioner Brandon Garrett grilled Pulley over exactly how the club would be spending the money, whether the group had applied for the federal Payroll Protection Program and seemed to insinuate Pulley was not telling whole the truth stating that “there’s been some talk” that the requested funds would be used for some other purpose.
Garrett’s comments spurred District 7 Commissioner Sean Frantom to add that the commission needed to find a way to demand more accountability from groups receiving funding through the city.
MORE: Money committed to expand nursing education at Aiken Technical College
“I do think that this government needs to come up with a more streamlined process of accountability from the entities we give money to, because frankly it needs to be used for the kids and not salaries,” Frantom said.
The Augusta Boxing Club was founded by Tom Moraetes in 1976. Moraetes was a probation officer at the time and wanted to find a way to intervene before young boys and men found themselves in the court system.
According to Pulley and Whitfield, Moraetes chose the sport of boxing because of its macho nature.
“The kids from those neighborhoods aren’t going to go to the local community center to learn arts and crafts, but boxing gives them an outlet where they can show they are tough and they can prove their manliness without getting into trouble,” Pulley said.
Before making the substitute motion to raise the funding to $300,000, Clarke complimented the club stating he knew the leaders of other boxing clubs throughout the Southeast and that the Augusta Boxing Club has a stellar reputation.
“This is more than about boxing, it’s about discipline and I am told by everyone that those kids from Augusta are some of the most well-behaved and well-mannered kids you will ever find,” Clarke said.
Scott Hudson is the senior reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com
