Above: Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard visits St. Philip’s School & Community Center as part of FightNight 2016.
As we reflect upon our three decades’ worth of TREC FightNight memories, one thing immediately becomes clear: This event means so much more to our organization and the City of Dallas than an annual celebration of boxing, casino-style gaming and dressing to the proverbial nines.
It’s hard to ignore the numbers. Since the event’s inception, The Real Estate Council Foundation has contributed more than $26 million toward community projects throughout the city. We are so proud of FightNight’s tradition of giving and even prouder of all of you for continuing to support this event and our philanthropic efforts.
That tradition will continue April 26 as proceeds from FightNight 30 will support the Dallas Catalyst Project, our new three-year initiative to invest $1 million in grants and pro-bono professional services work within a 1,050 square-foot radius in South Dallas.
So to put you in the giving spirit just weeks before the bouts begin, here’s a look back at some of the neighborhood projects that we’ve helped fund in recent years because of your generous donations during FightNight:
St. Philip’s School & Community Center
Since 1999, St. Philip’s School & Community Center has received approximately $340,000 in FightNight grants to help grow its facilities. It is also one of three community organizations we are partnering with for the Dallas Catalyst Project, alongside Cornerstone Baptist Church and the Forest Theater. Past projects include the acquisition of land for the development of athletic and recreational fields, renovations to St. Philip’s buildings and parking lots as well as the expansion of its food pantry, among others.
The Jubilee neighborhood
Jubilee neighborhood organizations have received four grants from FightNight contributions to develop housing and retail spaces. In 2007, the Jubilee Park & Community Center received $80,000 to plan and design guidelines for a retail development in the neighborhood, and the next year received $40,000 from the Associate Leadership Council project to construct permanent housing, renovate existing homes and relocate residents during the renovations. In 2011, Jubilee Park Senior Housing received $50,000 for the predevelopment and construction costs associated with a 24-unit apartment development across from the community center, and last year the center received $30,000 to purchase additional lots for an affordable housing development. The community center also received our $1,000 Legacy Leaders Impact Award during last year’s Giving Gala to create a workforce training program for security and construction jobs.
Harmony Community Development Center
The recipient of last year’s ALC Class project, Harmony Community Development Center received $40,000 – with proceeds coming from FightNight raffle tickets sold by ALC members – to redevelop its 2,450 square-foot food pantry. The ALC class also provided structural, engineering, architectural and other professional services to help the South Oak Cliff/Redbird center better manage food costs, reduce waste, and offer a wider variety of healthy food options for its clients.
Klyde Warren Park
A few years after we donated $1 million toward feasibility studies and staff support during the preliminary stages of Klyde Warren Park’s construction, TREC provided the Woodall Rogers Park Foundation a $500,000 impact grant raised during FightNight XIX (2007) for the park’s development. The five-acre urban green space connects Dallas’ downtown arts district to the city’s central business district and Uptown.
Reflecting on FightNight’s Giving Tradition
