February 2, 2016

Boston, MA – On Tuesday, February 2nd, for the second year in a row Boston Youth Wrestling was awarded a grant by The Lenny Zakim Fund and was honored together with other grantees at an Awards Ceremony held at the Revere Hotel, in Boston.

Boston Youth Wrestling was one of 53 grassroots, community based organizations that received 2016 grants from The Lenny Zakim Fund at the Awards Ceremony. Grantees include many youth serving organizations and organizations working for social justice in diverse ways. The mission of Boston Youth Wrestling is to promote youth development in inner city Boston by inspiring personal, academic, and athletic success through the sport of wrestling. Today, BYW serves over 200 youth across 16 school and community center program sites. Boston Youth Wrestling is honored to receive a grant in the amount of $12,500 from The Lenny Zakim Fund to support general operations and staffing.

About Boston Youth Wrestling
Embodied in the word “family” the BYW model pairs youth with coaches who help these budding wrestlers dedicate themselves to improving relationships, and striving for personal, academic, and athletic achievement. This year, 300 youth have been served through this program which creates the necessary networks for success in middle and high school and beyond. Students partnered with the program are paced in the disciplined environment of a wrestling team, as well as the supportive environment to encourage at-risk youth and equip them with lifelong skills.
 
About Lenny Zakim and The Lenny Zakim Fund
Lenny Zakim believed that one person can change the world.As the executive director of the New England Region of the Anti-Defamation League, he fought tirelessly to put an end to prejudice, civil rights violations, anti-Semitism, racism and bigotry of all kinds. After Lenny was diagnosed in 1995 with multiple myeloma, he created, with the help of friends and supporters, a philanthropic organization that would transform his vision of social justice into an enduring legacy: The Lenny Zakim Fund.
         
The mission of The Lenny Zakim Fund is to identify, listen to, support and connect grassroots community organizations and programs operating “below the radar screen” of many large charitable groups and government grants. The Lenny Zakim Fund provides assistance to those who demonstrate the will and potential to make a difference but lack the necessary resources.

Contact: Jude Goldman, Executive Director, The Lenny Zakim Fund
jgoldman@thelennyzakimfund.org
617-406-6036
www.thelennyzakimfund.org