Rockford Hero Rumble raises $14K for Carrie Lynn Children’s Center

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The inaugural Rockford Hero Rumble, which pitted police against firefighters in the boxing ring, raised $14,000 to benefit a nonprofit agency that supports children recovering from abuse.

Nick Povalitis of Plus Seven Co. and Jimmy Goodman of Rockford Boxing Club, which partnered to put on the event, presented the check on Wednesday to the Carry Lynn Children’s Center during a reception at the Lombardi Club.

The amount had not been revealed to Kathy Pomahac, executive director of Carrie Lynn Children’s Center, until the oversized check was turned over Wednesday night. It had surpassed the event’s fundraising goals.

“I’m floored,” Pomahac said. “But I knew from the event and how well it was done that it was going to be successful.”

The center helps families in Boone and Winnebago counties who are grappling with the challenges of child sexual and physical abuse. It works to connect families with mental health resources and other needed support services. It serves about 700 children each year and conducts about 400 forensic interviews in cooperation with law enforcement, Pomahac said.

“The work we do is so impactful and powerful and necessary that sometimes Kathy is too busy doing the job, so events like this really help us — not only the check and the amount, but also the awareness,” said Winnebago County State’s Attorney J. Hanley, who is chairman of the board for Carrie Lynn.

Hanley said the work that the center does is so sensitive that it can be difficult to spread awareness. The center is funded largely through grants and donations.

“We’re helping kids going through the worst things imaginable,” Hanley said. “You might be uncomfortable talking about it, but we need to talk about it and we need to fund it.”

The Rockford Hero Rumble took place Nov. 1, drawing more than 1,000 people to the Hard Rock Live for six bouts between police and firefighters.

Team Fire walked away with the championship trophy with a razor-thin margin of victory that came down to a double tiebreaker. The fire and police teams split with three victories each in the six bouts. The first tiebreaker was total rounds won, which also ended in a tie. So, the winner was then determined by total points on judges’ scorecards. Team Fire won by one point, Povalitis said.

Organizers held a post-event reception Wednesday night at the Lombardi Club to thank sponsors, supporters and competitors, as well as to present the check to the Carrie Lynn Center.

Povalitis said they’re proud of the better-than-expected amount raised, but they hope to grow the event more in the second year.

“It blew us away,” he said. “Obviously, we’re proud of year one, but we think we can do much better, honestly.”

The target date for next year’s Rockford Hero Rumble is Nov. 7 again at the Hard Rock Live.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas