MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN, Late August, 2026
MUSKEGON IS DONE
WITH GUN VIOLENCE
We're building a community movement - strong people, strong families, strong cities. Join us, volunteer, or sponsor the cause.
Led by people who've lived it and came back.
PRESENTED BY NEXT CHAPTERS SOLUTIONS
60 Seconds
IN THE RING
No weapons. No consequences. Just heart.
Free
OPEN TO EVERYONE
No cost to participate. No barrier to entry.
100%
COMMUNITY OWNED
Run by people from Muskegon, for Muskegon. Every dollar raised stays right here in this community.
WHY MUSKEGON, WHY NOW
Our kids ran for their lives at prom.
Michigan loses more than 1,200 people to gun violence every year - nearly half of all homicides in this state. Those aren't abstractions. They are fathers, mothers, teenagers. They are Muskegon.
May 9, 2026 FRUITPORT TOWNSHIP
Six people were injured at a post-prom party attended by students from Muskegon High School. Four were shot. Two were struck by cars as teenagers in prom clothes fled the parking lot in the dark. A 17-year-old was seriously injured. Her father called it a parent's worst nightmare.
Muskegon Mayor Ken Johnson responded: "What's critically important is that we love our youth, that we support our youth, that we invest in our youth."
We are not claiming Guns Down, Gloves Up is the only answer to gun violence in Muskegon. It is not. But it is an answer. A boxing ring is not a policy - but it is a place where a young person can channel what they are carrying. A crowd. A moment. A door into something more.
WHO IS BEHIND THIS
Led by people who've navigated the system and came back.
The people building this movement aren't outsiders with clipboards. They've been incarcerated. They've lived the consequences of gun violence up close. They know what it feels like when there are no doors — and they know what it feels like when someone holds one open.
They're here because they've already walked this road. And they're done watching young people start down it. That experience isn't a footnote — it's the whole reason this works.
THE MOVEMENT
01
Channel, don't suppress
Youth and adults step up, lace up, and compete. Sixty seconds in the ring. No weapons. No consequences. Just discipline and community watching.
02
Built by people who know
Every person running this has lived what these young people are living. That's not a program. That's credibility. That's the only thing that actually reaches someone.
03
A door, not a destination
The ring is a starting point. A crowd. A moment that shows a young person they have worth, talent, and a community behind them. That's how doors get opened.
SUPPORT THE MOVEMENT
This event is free. Making it happen isn't.
Every dollar goes directly toward launching this at the scale Muskegon deserves. Marketing the message. Producing the event. Capturing the stories on film so the movement lives past one afternoon.
In-kind donations of food, drinks, shirts, boxing equipment, and event supplies are equally welcome. Every donor is recognized as a sponsor.
All donations are tax deductible. Next Chapters Solutions Community Hub is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. EIN available upon request.
$20,000
Community fundraising goal
501(c)(3) nonprofit · All donations tax deductible · EIN available on request
Marketing & Outreach
$4000
Video Production
$3500
Day of Event Production
$4000
Shirts, swags and boxing equipment
$2500
Food and Hospitality
$2000
Community Outreach and Coordination
$2000
Contingency
$2000
GET INVOLVED
SHOW UP FOR MUSKEGON.
Whether you want to participate, volunteer, sponsor, or cover this story, we want to hear from you.
Businesses interested in sponsoring can select sponsor above and we will send the full sponsorship sheet.