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Mid Hudson Times, Wednesday, October 31, 2018
IN THIS ISSUE
Calendar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
City of Newburgh.. . . . . . . . . . . 24
Classifieds. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Crossword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . 12
Meadow Hill. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Town of Newburgh. . . . . . . . . . . 23
Newburgh Heritage. . . . . . . . . . . 10
New Windsor.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Opinion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Police Blotter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Service Directory. . . . . . . . . . . 39
Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
PUBLIC AGENDA
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1
Newburgh Enlarged City School
District Town Hall meeting, 6:30 a.m.
Board of Education Auditorium, 124
Grand St., Newburgh. Topics that will be
discussed are: General safety measures,
Technology, Social Emotional Learning
(SEL) roles and impact, Advisory
Leadership Emergency Response Team
(ALERT) meetings, School Resource
Monitors, Metal detectors.
City of Newburgh Conservation
Advisory Council, 6:30 p.m., Newburgh
Heritage Center, 123 Grand Street.
Town of Newburgh Planning Board, 7
p.m. Town Hall, 1496 Route 300, Town of
Newburgh.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 7
New Windsor Town Board, 7 p.m.,
Town Hall, 555 Union Ave., New Windsor.
HOW TO REACH US
OFFICE:
300 Stony Brook Court
Newburgh, NY 12550
PHONE: 845-561-0170, FAX: 845-561-3967
Emails may be directed to the following :
ADVERTISING
[email protected]
CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS
[email protected]
TO REACH THE EDITOR
[email protected]
FOR THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT
[email protected]
PUBLIC NOTICES
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WEBSITE
www.timescommunitypapers.com
The Mid Hudson Times (USPS 000-5947) is a weekly
newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh, NY
12550, with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court, Newburgh,
NY Single copy: $1 at newsstand. By mail in Orange, Ulster
or Sullivan Counties: $40 annually, $44 out of county.
Periodicals permit at Newburgh, NY POSTMASTER: Send
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Court, Newburgh, NY 12550.
FACES OF NEWBURGH
Raising the next generation of boxers
By KATELYN CORDERO
[email protected]
H
e is walking from the jail yard to the
main office. A panic runs over him
as he realizes what the call is, it’s
his daughter. She’s in the hospital sick,
he can hear her voice in the background
calling out “daddy”.
In this moment Leonard Lee was
completely helpless. His little girl was
sick and he was stuck upstate in a jail
yard with tears in his eyes and a painful
desire to be home. He did the only thing
he knew to do in that moment. He prayed
to God that his little girl would be okay.
“That day I made a promise to God,”
said Lee. “I promised if he kept my little
girl safe, I would never pick up a drug or
sip a lick of alcohol again.”
For Lee this was not an easy promise
to make. He spent 25 years of his life in
and out of jail, hustling on the streets.
The one thing that allowed him to keep
that promise for the past 10 years was
boxing. When he came out of jail for the
last time he began working for a gym
coaching little kids.
“Boxing was the only thing that kept
me out of the streets,” said Lee. “Now I
try to save kids through boxing. I did a lot
of wrong, but I am so thankful that God
gave me a chance.”
Lee began boxing as an 8 year old
kid when Richard Peterson, Hook Elite
Inc. owner, saw him fighting two kids
on Chamber Street. He boxed through
college, and early in life he fought against
famous fighters like Iran Barkley and
Davie Moore.
To make money on the side in college
Lee began selling drugs. He never
finished college or became a professional
Lee is a Deacon at Ebenezer Baptist Church,
one of the organizations that supports the
club.
boxer, but poured his talent into the kids
he mentors so they can make it further
than he did.
After he came home from prison Lee
started working with an old friend, and
eventually decided to start his own club
out of his sisters backyard. Lee named the
club Hook Elite Boxing Club in homage to
his beginnings with Peterson.
A member of his church Ebenezer
Baptist Church told Lee about a locker
room being used for storage at the city
recreational center. She said if he cleaned
it up they could use the space as a gym.
Lee jumped at the opportunity to move
out of the backyard.
The gym is modest with a ring falling
apart at the seams, and a leaky roof.
Lee however is grateful for everything
that has been given to him. He and his
assistant coach Bill Williams volunteer
their time to work with the kids everyday.
“I love this gym, it saved my life,” said
Lee. “It allowed me to meet some good
people across the country. I’ve turned out
some national champions and nationally
ranked kids.”
Lee recalls the little eight year old boy
Peterson took off the street and put in
the ring. He sees those kids all around his
neighborhood and does the same Peterson
did for him. He pushes them to be the best
they can be in and out the ring.
Kids are only allowed to box with Lee
if they behave, do well in school, and stay
out of trouble.
“The goal is for the kids to be positive,
successful people in everything they do,”
said Lee. “It’s about turning these kids
into good people. Whatever they want to
be, whatever they want to do it doesn’t
matter, boxing can be supportive to those
dreams. I don’t care if they decide not to
box, I just want them to be strong people.”
This November Lee will be sending 12
fighters and six coaches and chaperones
to Dublin, Ireland for a competition.
His past prevents him from joining the
kids on the trip, but that hasn’t stopped
him from making sure the kids have
everything they need on the trip.
To join Hook Elite Boxing Club you can
contact Lee at 857-0162.
Local boxers to compete in Ireland
By KATELYN CORDERO
[email protected]
Walking into the abandoned locker
room in the Newburgh Recreation Center
you will hear gloves hitting bags, a jump
rope skipping and kids boxing in the
homemade ring. The walls are cluttered
with championship belts, trophies and
pictures of fighters that have come in
and out of Hook Elite Boxing Club.
The home grown club started off in
a backyard in 2011 until they moved into
the cleaned out locker room. Coaches
Leonard Lee and Bill Williams look to
pull kids of the streets and use boxing
as a way to stay out of trouble. They
have produced national champions and
brought fighters to the olympic trials.
In November the Club is taking 12
fighters to Ireland thanks to donations
by the Kaplan Family, Jim Turner and
Jim Williams. The young fighters are
beyond excited to take their competition
international.
The kids attending the trip include
Shamar Canal, Ka’sir Goldstein, Sierra
Martinez, Aidan O’Brien, Ty-mari
Sarvis, Isaha A’Costa, Zyrell Williams,
Ja’sir Junior, Raymond Ravera, Dior
Young, Donte Segovia, and Eric Reyes.
They will be fighting against Ernes
Boxing Club in Dublin, Ireland. The
relationship between the two clubs
started in 2011 when Sean Crowley heard
about Hook Elite’s “Gloves Up Guns
Down” competition.
“He looked at Newburgh and thought
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