Photos by Robin Schwartz metro » Asa Weinstein, Robert Victor, David Safta, Joey Katz and Nathan Yusufov Hands On! Hillel students experience Detroit’s Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program. Robin Schwartz | Contributing Writer I t takes guts to throw a punch in the direction of Coach Khali Sweeney, founder and director of the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program in Detroit. But, one by one, dozens of eighth-graders from Hillel Day School in Farmington Hills slipped on boxing gloves, stepped up to the coach and gave it their best shot during a Dec. 9 field trip. “They learned pretty quickly,” Khali said later. “A few of them threw some really good shots I wouldn’t want to get hit with.” The students were the first suburban school group to visit the boxing gym’s 27,500-square-foot facility on Vernor Highway and get a firsthand look at the free afterschool program that serves about 140 Detroit students ages 7-18. There is currently a 700-child waiting list to receive the tutoring and academic support, dinner, boxing and mentoring the program provides five nights a week. Coach Khali started the gym in 2007. To date, 100 percent of participants have graduated from high school. “It’s so inspirational,” said Julia Klein, a Hillel teen with tight braids who practic- es Taekwondo. “I think it’s just complete- ly amazing what this gym is turning kids into, turning them into successful people. The intensity and discipline, it’s really making them into great people who can do amazing things in the future.” The Hillel students learned about the youth program and several other com- munity organizations during a lesson plan called “Campaign for a Cause” that involved researching, advocating for and even voting to support various causes. English teacher Lauren Sterling felt an in-person visit to the gym and other organizations was essential. “To hear from the coach, to see what the children are experiencing and to experience it themselves is very different from reading a website,” Sterling said. Last Work Batsheva Dance Company Ohad Naharin, artistic director Saturday, January 7 // 8 pm Sunday, January 8 // 2 pm Power Center | Ann Arbor The stage is bare. In the distance a woman runs on a treadmill. Her non-stop running traces the line of time, of history being repeated. UMS presents the North American premiere of Last Work, a new evening-length piece by Ohad Naharin performed by 18 dancers from one of the world’s preeminent dance companies. With its shifts from sustained, meditative movement to frenzied bursts of energy, this exploration of human motion — and emotion — generates powerful images that will not soon be forgotten. Naharin’s innovative movement language, Gaga, has enriched his extraordinary movement invention and revolutionized the company’s training, and LEWIQIVKIHEWEKVS[MRKMRXIVREXMSREPJSVGIMRXLIPEVKIVƪIPHSJ movement practices for both dancers and non-dancers alike. Contains strobe lights and partial nudity. PRESENTING SPONSOR F U N D E D I N PA R T BY M E D I A PA R T N E R S Renegade Ventures Fund, established by Maxine and Stuart Frankel Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation and the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project Metro Times Michigan Radio 91.7 FM SUPPORTING SPONSORS Rachel Bendit and Mark Bernstein, and Cheryl Cassidy ums.org 734.764.2538 UNIVERSIT Y OF MICHIGAN | ANN ARBOR 2115580 24 December 22 • 2016 Coach Khali Sweeney answers questions from 37 Hillel eighth-graders. “We want the students to learn that even though we live in different communities, there’s a commonality of human experi- ence.” HOLIDAY GIFT EXCHANGE The 37 Hillel students came bearing gifts. They made key chains and assembled holiday gift bags for the boxing gym’s children, which were distributed later that day. The class also collected $100 to donate. The students at the gym had previously received a lesson about Chanukah, and they left gift bags and personal notes for the Hillel students. In addition to a tour, boxing drills and assembling gift bags, the eighth-graders took part in a heartfelt question-and- answer session with the coach. “All you guys might go home, and there may be food in your refrigerator; but at my house, there was no food in my refrigerator,” Khali said. “A lot of these kids go home to an empty refrigerator.” The Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program has many high-profile support- ers, including Madonna and Eminem. Other sponsors are Sachse Construction, Quicken Loans and the Dresner Foundation. But, the need is great. “We’re always looking for qualified tutors and volunteers,” said Jessica Hauser, executive director. “It costs $1,800 per year to sponsor a child. We have a need for book drives. We would love to do career days and have people come talk to the kids about various careers.” “I just want them to see that we’re all good people,” Khali said as the students left. “We all want the same things. We take health and education seriously. We’re all in pursuit of happiness, peace and love.” * For more on the Downtown Boxing Gym Youth Program, to donate or volunteer, visit downtownyouthboxing.org or call (313) 209-3029.