LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER, Mr. Jeff Cohen

Jamie Austin, Matt Silver, our committee, the L.I. Community Chest board of directors and I once again are so grateful for everyone’s support since the Fight for Charity’s inception. The respect and growth that the Long Island’s Fight for Charity has experienced over the last 6 years is just amazing and unprecedented. None of this would be possible if it were not for the unbelievable commitment and support of our past and current boxers, sponsors, volunteers, committee and most of all, YOU, our fellow Long Islanders.

The idea of a charity boxing match, that was originally thought to be crazy, is now one of the most anticipated events on Long Island. With more than 10 bouts and dozens of participating businesses, this year’s event will prove to be one of the largest and most exciting. That said, with the current economic conditions, everyone involved has committed to work even harder than before so that we ensure reaching our fundraising goals. Our “09” goal is to meet or exceed the $140,000 we so proudly raised and dispersed to our recipient charities in 2008. Our recipient charities are the Long Island Community Chest, the Genesis School and Family Residences and Essential Enterprises, Inc.

As usual, we have dozens of volunteers and people who work throughout the year to make this event possible. Our 2 main sponsors, The Fuoco Group, and Z Com formerly Zoom Wireless come to us each year to support this event and in turn, the Long Island community. We are so grateful for their involvement and thank them. In the beginning, I could hardly believe local businessmen and women would get in the ring, and yet today I stand here humbled and awestruck by my peers for their hard work, courage and dedication. I must also thank Mr. Tony Fortunato from Eye of the Tiger Boxing along with all of their members and trainers who have been working closely with each boxer to give them the experience and skills they need to be prepared for the main event.

Our previous events have been marked by excitement and energy. Each has attracted more than 1,200 people to the Long Island Hilton. To date, our four previous year’s events have raised more than $550,000 for local charities, and this is something we all should be proud of!

While the boxing matches are fun and important, they are just the vehicle we use to accomplish our mission which is to raise funds and awareness for our recipient charities and to spread the word of their vital programs and services. Everyone involved should all be so proud that the funds will impact the lives of thousands of families this year in our local community and home, Long Island.

On behalf of Jamie, Matt, our sponsors, committee, all of our volunteers and most importantly, our recipient charities, I thank everyone who has been or is currently supporting our efforts to make the 7th annual Long Island’s Fight for Charity, a tremendous success.

With my respect and gratitude,

Jeff Cohen, The Founder