Twenty local professionals have made the cut to compete at the Champions for Charity Brawl at Tapestry Hall in Cambridge. The annual charity event has raised over $500,000 for McMaster Children’s Hospital, KidsAbility, and Scotland’s Yard (Grand River Hospital Foundation).
WATERLOO, ON. November 28, 2024 – After two days of gruelling tryouts in November, Mandy Bujold and the Champions for Charity team have selected the 20 local professionals who will train for 15 weeks to get fight-ready when they step into the ring at The Brawl at Tapestry Hall in Cambridge, ON, on Friday, April 4, 2025.
The 20 fighters are split into two teams—Team Red, coached by former middleweight champion Syd Vanderpool, and Team Blue, coached by two-time Canadian National Champion Kaitlyn Clark. The fighters have been paired together based on a combination of sex, age, weight and experience as required by Boxing Ontario.
Team Red:
- Jeff Van Gyssel, Just Working Construction, Inc.
- Matt McHugh, McHugh Painting
- Meghan Snyder, Snyder’s Family Farm
- Haley McIntosh, Royal Bank of Canada
- Kristin Diebel, Avidbots Corp
- Jason Kropf, Moser Landscape Group, Inc.
- Allan Cayenne, Allan Cayenne Real Estate & KW Oktoberfest President
- Jillian Lawrie, Harmony Acquisitions & United Way
- Paul Sousa, Steed and Evans Limited
- Jen Ziegler, Remax Solid Gold Realty
Team Blue:
- Jason Hunke, Hunke Construction
- Shant Sarmazian, Sarmazian Bros. Flooring
- Jaime Wilson, St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation
- John Deans, SG Cunningham
- Beth Borody, Femina Collective
- Kyle Jackson, Thermon Canada
- Anne Filiatrault, Anne Filiatrault Artist
- Shannon Gerryts, VanDel Construction
- Harmony Voisin, Voisin Developments Limited
- Thompson Tran, Wooden Boat Food Company
Team Red’s Jennifer Ziegler said supporting McMaster Children’s Hospital felt like a natural extension of her mission of helping families.
“Over the years, I’ve seen close friends’ children rely on the hospital’s care, and it’s left a profound impact on me,” Ziegler said. “As I approach my 40th year, I want to do something that challenges me not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. This is my way of giving back, of making every stride, every moment, count for something bigger than myself.”
Team Blue’s Beth Borody agreed with Ziegler. She added that trying out for Champions for Charity was an easy decision.
“Doing hard things and supporting children’s charities just make sense and being an example to my kids and showing mom can step into the ring means the world to me,” Borody said.
Training and fundraising for Champion for Charity starts in December, with the teams getting started with their fundamentals at SydFIT Health Center (180 St Leger St., Kitchener) on December 18. Champions for Charity raised $160,000 for the McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation in 2019. In 2024, the event raised $340,000 for McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation and $20,000 on fight night for the Grand River Hospital Foundation and KidsAbility.
“We’re expecting an even bigger impact this year thanks to the support of the STOIDI Group as a key partner,” Bujold said. This year’s event is set to make an even greater impact, helping raise essential funds for children’s charities that support our community.”
To learn more about Champions for Charity and The Brawl at Tapestry Hall, visit champsforcharity.ca.
