The Cogswell Club this week awarded $64,000 to the Haverhill Downtown Boxing Club and MakeIT Haverhill.
Cogswell Club spokesperson Jeff Grassie told the Haverhill City Council Tuesday night top donors from the club chose last week from among four nonprofits. MakeIT Haverhill and Downtown Boxing Club tied and will split the bulk of the $64,000. Grassie told WHAV that donors, ranging from local businesses to individual benefactors will send checks directly to the nonprofits. A few donors will also send some money to Haverhill Promise and Somebody Cares New England, the two runners up.
Lisbeth Valdez, MakeIT’s program director, told councilors her organization aims to help families reach financial self-sufficiency. MakeIT, which Keith Boucher founded in 2019, became a project of Community Action last year.
“We are working with people who sometimes cannot read, and if they don’t have the literacy skills, if they have a third grade, eighth grade education, we cannot expect them to understand how to navigate a computer, much less a job,” she said. “The goal here is that we’re able to train individuals with all the skills they need to become self-sufficient and attain living wage jobs.”
Offering language, computer skills and workforce placement programs, Valdez said MakeIt assisted more than 400 job seekers this year, particularly recent immigrants from Haiti. They supplement programs with consistent nightly classes with a more flexible walk-in option. Valdez said they also host monthly job fairs, and helped more than 30 people secure employment in manufacturing, healthcare, education and transportation.
With only two full-time staff, and over 20 volunteers, Valdez said the organization will use donated money to expand its operations.
Downtown Boxing, the nonprofit that shares Cogswell’s annual award, is a boxing gym in Haverhill. Jonathan Pramas, one of the club’s volunteer trainers, explained that money would go toward upgrading and replacing equipment.
“Our club operates on a shoestring budget. Utilities just get more and more expensive. On any given night we have 40 to 60 children in our gym. We have two or three trainers in there at a time. None of us takes a penny for anything we do in there. Most of the children that come through do not pay a cent,” Pramas said. “We are just looking for donations to keep the lights on, keep the children off the street, teach them life skills and teach them a sport.”
After Pramas’ presentation, Grassie emphasized the organization teaches “discipline and respect,” adding that children are not allowed to swear in the gym.
The Cogswell Club began in 2021, when City Council President Timothy J. Jordan asked Haverhill’s businesses and individuals to help pay for construction of the Cogswell Artspace. It has since become an annual initiative to support Haverhill’s nonprofits. Those who donate $1,000 or more are invited to the annual meeting to select the winner. The council pledged $1,000 to this year’s awardees.
Donations to the winning nonprofits may be addressed to Haverhill Downtown Boxing, Attn. Ray Hebert, 110 North Ave., Haverhill and MakeIT Haverhill, 301 Washington St., Haverhill.