Changing young lives, one uppercut at a time

MOUNT HEALTHY — Sixteen-year-old Tyrik Gorden – dressed in a red sweatshirt, red sparring head guard and red punching gloves – steps up to the punching bag at the Real Deal Boxing Club.

He’s been boxing for a while now, and he’s good. Three weeks ago, he placed third in the Junior Open and Youth National Championships in Reno, Nevada.

Had he placed first, he would have represented Team USA at the World Tournament in Russia.

“I love the sport,” Tyrik said after training, as beads of sweat dripped down his face. “It keeps me active and it keeps me doing things.”

Tyrik is part of Giving Kids a Fighting Chance, a nonprofit based in Mount Healthy and Roselawn that aims to provide guidance and discipline to youth through boxing, mentoring and tutoring.

The program was created by Megan Schmittauer after she met Tyrik and his two friends, AJ Benton and EJ Lamar, at the Punch House boxing gym in 2014.

It’s a necessary service to make sure kids have a safe place to go after school, a meal after training and good role models to look up to, Schmittauer said.

The numbers confirm what she says. Violence plagued Cincinnati’s streets last year: 510 people were shot, leaving 71 dead. The city’s child poverty rate is 44 percent, double the national rate of 22 percent, according to 2014 estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau.

In Millvale, where Tyrik grew up, the poverty rate is even higher. The median household income is $15,833 and over 65 percent of neighborhood residents lived in poverty in 2010, according to city data.

In Mount Healthy, one of the locations where the program is based, there has been a surge in crime and tragedy recently:

• On Jan. 10, Elijah Johnson, 21, was shot and killed in a car at Compton Road and Clovernook Avenue during daytime hours.

• On Jan. 29, police found a man lying in a White Castle parking lot, not breathing and unresponsive from an apparent overdose.

• On Jan. 30, police broke up a large teen party on Elizabeth Road. As police arrived, gunshots rang through the air.

Some of the hardships hit particularly close to home. On Jan. 26, a 16-year-old boy from East Price Hill, who was part of the mentorship program, committed suicide.

“These kids are dealing with so much,” Schmittauer said. “Some of our kids don’t know where their clothes are going to come from or where their next meal is going to come from.”

‘I wanted some tips, so I began offering them gum’

Since Tyrik became friends with Schmittauer and joined the Fighting Chance program, a lot has changed in his life.

Before, he wasn’t attending classes. Now, he’s going to school, turning in his homework, volunteering, and taking nutrition and leadership programs as part of the mentorship program.

“Megan helps keep me on track and makes sure I turn in my homework,” Tyrik said. “Sometimes it’s annoying, but it will help me be successful in life.”

Schmittauer met Tyrik, AJ and EJ in 2014 at the Punch Club in Norwood, where she began taking boxing lessons.

Schmittauer immediately took notice of the boys, who trained every day. Their workout regimes were disciplined, and they could do quite a number of pull-ups.

“I wanted some tips, so I began offering them gum,” Schmittauer said, smiling.

Slowly, they built a rapport. Schmittauer was consistent, always there when the boys needed her, always willing to buy them breakfast or lunch.

The friendship progressed naturally. They would spend every Sunday together. It usually involved food. Buffalo Wild Wings was a popular pick.

Schmittauer found herself mentoring them, encouraging Tyrik to go back to school by picking him for school every morning. Sometimes she would bribe him with breakfast first.

Last February, the boys relocated to Real Deal Boxing Club in Mount Healthy, and Schmittauer went along with them. It was there that she came up with the idea of Giving Kids a Fighting Chance.

Fighting Chance received its nonprofit certification in March. At the time, there were eight boys in the program. Today, the program has more than 60 participants.

In Mount Healthy, there’s a strict curriculum. Participants are expected to attend class every day, earn a minimum 2.6 grade-point average, complete 10 hours of community service, take classes on nutrition and leadership, and learn how to open a checking account and balance a checkbook. They must also visit a college campus or trade school.

Boxing helps the kids, too, Coach Kevin Benford said. It’s a stress reliever and confidence booster. It also teaches them the importance of health, nutrition and discipline.

“It does something for your self-esteem,” Benford said. The kids lovingly refer to him as Coach Buck, because he once had buck teeth. “Boxing will bring you out of your shell.”

Now, the program has expanded to Roselawn. The first day was Monday. Schmittauer expected one or two kids to show up and was surprised when there were five. On Tuesday, there were 15.

The dynamic here is different. Schmittauer wants to focus on gaining families’ trust and making sure kids have a safe place to go.

In Roselawn, the need is great, with 21 percent of people living in poverty and the median household income at $28,535, the 2010 data show.

“Now, these kids have a future,” Schmittauer said. “It’s opened a lot of doors for them.”

In a rough place, she found love

Schmittauer was in a difficult time of life when she met the boys. She had gone through a divorce and moved to Cincinnati for a new job.

Tyrik, AJ and EJ helped save her, she says. They helped her realize she wasn’t dealing with her emotions, they showed her love was possible and they helped her find a purpose.

“I’m by far the happiest I’ve ever been in my life,” Schmittauer said. “I feel so fortunate. I’m 30 and I’ve found my purpose in life.”

In the last couple years, Schmittauer has taken on some additional responsibilities. She’s Tyrik’s guardian, and he lives with her in her Norwood home. It’s a good fit for Tyrik. He has a very loving family in Millvale, which he still sees often. But with 25 half-, step- or full siblings, it can be a bit crazy at times.

Now, Schmittauer spends her evenings at Parent Teacher Association meetings, instead of happy hour.

She hopes that purpose will be passed down to the kids in the Fighting Chance program, that they will win in the boxing ring and in life.

“That’s the reward,” Benford said. “Seeing these kids out there winning, accomplishing goals they didn’t think they could reach. They’re saying, ‘I’m ready for the world.’ ”

How you can help

Giving: Fighting Chance accepts all types of donations, including computers, school supplies, boxing gear and gym equipment.

Mentoring: If you’re 16 or older, you can participate in one of four programs offered by Fighting Chance.

Job shadowing: Fighting Chance participants are required to complete an on-the-job shadowing to learn about different careers.

Reach out: Call 513-444-0863, email Megan Schmittauer at contact@givingkidsafightingchance.org or visit www.givingkidsafightingchance.org.