By Justine Kelsie

Boxing fundraiser fights cancer

Jan 10, 2018 | 12:11 PM

He had over 700 tickets sold for the event held in Westlock in 2017, and there are hopes of it being even bigger in 2018.

Ridgevalley resident Scotty Cartwright is moving Fight for Hope to a facility in the Grande Prairie area in hopes of selling more than 1000 more tickets than last year. The goal is to raise $500,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities and the Kids with Cancer Society.

The boxing fundraiser idea was born after his family decided to give back to the charities that helped them when they were in need. In March 2016, his 6-year-old son was diagnosed with Leukemia. Prior to that, they had lost their Westlock home in a fire and moved to the Peace Country to start over.

“With that, the loss of a home and change of geographic location, we didn’t have any finances. We really didn’t have much hope. When we got to the Stollery Children’s Hospital [in Edmonton] — our son was medivaced to the hospital – they started aggressive chemotherapy for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, high risk,” explained Cartwright.

The Cartwright family was able to connect with the two charities. Once everything settled down, a “new normal” set into place for the family.

“Wouldn’t it be great to pay it forward and be able to give back…”

Gathered with other families that were experiencing similar situations, Cartwright started to brainstorm what could be done.

“Wouldn’t it be great to pay it forward and be able to give back to this network for what they’ve done for us. That kind of started the conversation about ‘what could we do?’ and we got thinking a bottle drive, but that had been done before. Do we do a bikini car wash? They all said, ‘I don’t know Scotty, if you hope into a bikini, it won’t be a very big success’. We go thinking that the children and the families are in the fight of their life. Why don’t we put on a boxing event?”

As a group, they decided that “Fight for Hope” was a fitting name for the fundraiser. Cartwright challenged an RCMP Officer to a bout and when asked, Craig Armstrong was ready and willing to fight for the kids. TJ Ruckus Band from the Grande Prairie area played in the Westlock event alongside silent and live auctions. They were able to rake in around $60,000 for the charities.

The 2018 event will be held at the Crosslink County Sportsplex on April 28. Cartwright is hoping to fill about approximately 1663 tickets and raise more than eight times the amount of last year for the same two charities.

“We could rent the biggest auditorium, have the fanciest supper, and amazing of show, but if no one comes, it doesn’t do a thing. Standing alone doesn’t do anything. The biggest thing I could urge people to do is buy a ticket to the event. Even if you have no use for combative sports, it isn’t about that.”

The main event this year will be between a County of Grande Prairie Firefighter and Peace Officer, Kris Ferguson and founder of the event, Cartwright.

The success of the event was stamped with being nominated and receiving an award at the National Philanthropy Day ceremony on November 19, 2017, in Edmonton. According to Cartwright, their fundraising group was among 128 to be nominated. 

The founder has large goals for the event with a five-year plan of having Fight for Hope in Edmonton at Rogers Place.

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