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Derek Brown knows the hardships of growing up on Chicago's West side.  Going by the name of "Shotgun," he joined a gang at the age of thirteen and spent many of his younger years between the streets and jail.  As he rose through the ranks his influence sent some of his peers down a path to their graves and others to a lifetime in prison.  By the time he was in his twenties, "Shotgun" had been shot and his best friend murdered. 

Growing up in Chicago is still risky business; more than 700 people were killed in the city in 2016 alone.  Derek still walks the same streets he did as a child, but his purpose couldn't be more different--Seeing his younger self in the faces of today's children, he's determined to help this generation survive and thrive through positivity, even in the face of the greatest adversity.  Since the founding of the North Lawndale Boxing League in 2009 Coach Derek Brown has taught "gloves, not guns" to nearly 400 youth, but boxing is simply the hook for the program's deeper purpose:  Instilling discipline and self-respect through the mentorship, tutoring, and motivational discussions that accompany each boxing lesson.  

Youth "pay" for their participation with homework, but Coach Derek and the youth of North Lawndale need your help.  Demand for the program is more than triple its capacity, leaving too many youth on a waiting list for the services, guidance, and after-school safe haven that the program provides.  

With youth on Chicago's West side facing more complex challenges than ever, the stakes have never been greater to support the North Lawndale Boxing League in achieving its mission of changing the world one person at a time...by Boxing Out Negativity.