Khali Sweeney
Founder and CEO, Downtown Boxing Gym
Coach Khali Sweeney is the founder and CEO of the Downtown Boxing Gym (DBG Detroit), a nonprofit organization he started in 2007 to empower Detroit students and set them on a path to success. The gym trains kids for life, providing tutoring, mentorship, enrichment programs, college and career readiness, meals, transportation and more, Monday-Friday, all year round. Currently, 150+ boys and girls, ages 8-18, from 30 different zip codes and 57 schools across Detroit and nearby suburbs, attend the free, academic and athletic program, but there's also a large waiting list of 1,300+ students to get in.
During COVID-19 with resources and opportunities extremely limited for Detroit students, DBG expanded from an after-school program to a full-day program to provide computers and internet access and give the children a safe place to attend online classes throughout the day. This also helps DBG's working parents, many of whom are essential, front-line workers. The gym is now open for in person programming from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Throughout the pandemic, DBG staff members have also delivered emergency food and supplies to families and other nonprofits using DBG's vans. The DBG team is working around the clock to battle learning loss while also addressing food insecurity, the digital divide, and the emotional wellbeing of its students.
Khali founded the Downtown Boxing Gym to provide a launching pad for students to achieve their dreams. The gym is proud to have a 100% high school graduation rate since its inception. Among his many honors, Khali was a CNN Hero Top 10 finalist, named 'Mentor of the Year' by Michigan's governor and received the Arthur L. Johnson Community Leadership Award from Wayne State University. His inspiring story has been featured on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Rachael Ray and many other local and national media outlets. Learn more at: dbgdetroit.org.