In The Ring With The Good Fight

On Sunday, June 25th, we had our 3rd annual golf outing fundraiser, which was held at Coulee Golf Bowl in Onalaska. Despite the fact that it rained on and off, we had more than 75 golfers and 15 volunteers that made the day fun and successful. Our event coordinator, Audrey, worked so incredibly hard to bring this all together and it was a home run- or, should we say, a hole in one! And congrats to the Munson Realty team who won the trophy! We had 3 special hole events, […]

Qydarius Cooley, aka. Qyn, is our newest boxing coach and support staff member. He is a La Crosse native who was introduced to The Good Fight by his friend (and our head boxing coach!), Kai. He would come to box almost every day and, since he had already started building relationships with some of our kids (who like to slap his head and call him Michael Jordan- I don’t know why), it was a natural progression for him to become a staff member and get paid for it. Qyn works […]

Cassidy is a teen who has been attending The Good Fight for several years. She also participated in this year’s Young Chefs Challenge and helped our team maintain possession of the trophy! Here we get her perspective on why The Good Fight is important and what it means to her, personally. How old were you when you first came to The Good Fight Community Center?  January 4th, 2017. I was 11 years old. How old are you now? 17 Why did you come to The Good Fight? I wanted to […]

Your kid is strong.  Yes, “that” kid. With all the conditions, diagnoses, and angst. They are strong. And capable! When did we stop delivering that message? It’s the job of all caregivers to help our kids comprehend their potential, and the possibilities that exist in spite of every challenge.   Today it sometimes seems like every kid who struggles is given a diagnosis for their behavior. These kids begin to buy into failure, lose their will to fight and their reason to push when it’s tough. They simply repeat what adults […]

This is an essay written in October by Good Fight student, Madeline Novak. She is a student at Longfellow Middle School in La Crosse. Maddie also participates in our Young Chefs Challenge and regularly utilizes our art room to create unique and colorful art to decorate the walls of staff offices. She is smart and confident and also great at giving side-eye. “I definitely have a lot to share about The Good Fight Community Center! The Good Fight is a good place to go if you need help with homework. […]

On a Monday in March, Terri Ziegelbauer got to experience first-hand what we do here at The Good Fight Community Center and ride along in the van with the kids. She is a GFCC supporter and personal friend of executive director, Nate Coleman.  So, Terri, how did you learn about the Good Fight Community Center? “Through a friend who is the person that started the center [that would be Nate].  In conversations with him, I learned about what The Good Fight offered and thought it was a wonderful idea.” When […]

Spring has sprung! And here at The Good Fight things are heating up outside and inside. Every spring we kick off our Young Chefs Challenge in partnership with the YMCA Teen Center. Two teams of middle and high school students go head to head in competition for the traveling trophy- one team from the Y, under Coach Lou, and one team from The Good Fight, under Coach Nate. The competition runs across the course of March, April, and May, with one competition each month. There are always three in-house practice […]

So perhaps you’re concerned… One of the biggest questions I get is regarding why we teach boxing to at-risk youth.  Aren’t we just “teaching them how to fight?”  Most folks think of boxing as a brutal, violent and angry sport. While I can’t deny that boxing can be that, that’s not at all what we teach or model, and it never will be. So, here and now, I will address this “elephant in the room” and hopefully clear up why we do this crazy sport also known as “The Sweet […]

The Good Fight is launching an e-newsletter, “In the Ring” We are super excited to announce the launch of our new e-newsletter, “In the Ring.” There’s so much good stuff happening at The Good Fight, and we want to keep you in the know! From inspirational stories and articles written by our kids, to program updates and opportunities to get involved, our new e-newsletter will keep you informed and involved. Complete the form below to sign up to receive it!