Knock Out Dog Fighting Member Andre Ward Awarded Key To The City of Dublin, California
DUBLIN, CALIFORNIA – January 29, 2010 – On Wednesday January 27, 2010, to kick off the city of Dublin, California's State of the City address, Mayor Tom Sbranti honored Knock Out Dog Fighting member Andre Ward with a Key to the City for his accomplishments in the sports world and his continued commitment to working with and inspiring at-risk youth throughout the Bay Area.
Ward, a resident of Dublin, holds an undefeated record of 21-0 with 13 KOs as a Professional Boxer and has won more than 90 matches as an amateur, including the Gold Medal at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. As the only American boxer to claim Olympic gold in the past decade, Ward joined the likes of Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard and Oscar De La Hoya.
But more importantly, Ward is an even greater champion outside the ring. Ward is heavily involved with working with at-risk and gang-impacted youth as part of the award-winning Knock Out Dog Fighting youth intervention program.
The Knock Out Dog Fighting program partners with schools, juvenile detention facilities, community centers, community-based organizations, dog trainers, law enforcement agencies and gang prevention task forces with the goal of stopping cruelty and abuse. The Knock Out Dog Fighting program identifies the underlying reasons kids and young adults are joining gangs and fighting dogs and provides resources and intervention programs to address those issues. Team members work on the ground level to help at-risk and under-served youth make better choices, develop empathy for animals, self-respect and healthy lifestyles.
With more and more kids looking to professional athletes and celebrities as role models, Ward takes the responsibility of being a role model very seriously. He knows that because he is a professional athlete there is a child somewhere watching what he says and what he does. Ward knows his actions can impact lives.
Unfortunately, many people don't get involved in stopping dog fighting because they think "it's just a dog issue, why should I care?". Ward got involved because he loves dogs, but because he also knows it is so much more than just a dog issue.
Dog fighting is a form of animal abuse and there is a direct correlation between those who abuse animals and those who go on to commit violent crimes against people. In fact, in a home where there is an animal abuser, more often than not there is child, spousal or even elder abuse going on. That's why the Knock Out Dog Fighting program is so important - it stops the cycle of violence.
Andre Ward and the Knock Out Dog Fighting program are not only saving dogs, they are also saving our children and our communities too.
For more information about Andre Ward and his work with the Knock Out Dog Fighting program, go to http://www.KnockOutDogFighting.org
City Council Members Don Biddle, Kevin Hart, Kate Ann Sholz, Andre Ward and Mayor Tom Sbranti
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Andre Ward at a Knock Out Dog Fighting presentation at a juvenile detention center
Andre Ward and Tahoe - therapy dog and retired search dog
