The students of Husson University are looking to make a difference in their community.
For the fifth year, the students of the Husson University Fighting Eagles Boxing Club will be putting on wellness-centered classes for their community members suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
These classes will be centered around non-contact style boxing and boxing drills. The goal is to help these people get fit, improve balance, strength, and coordination. In the years since this program has been around, their participants have stated that the classes “slow the progression of symptoms and make them feel more in control of the disease.”
The boxing sessions are led by University physical therapy student Kara Casavant.
“The relationships that form between the boxers and the student volunteers are incredible and often provide participants with another support system. The progress the participants have made has been amazing and there’s no better feeling than watching a boxer accomplish a new skill or movement that they’ve been struggling with!” Casavant said via a press release. “The Fighting Eagles Boxing Club allows the participants to work on functional movements, coordination, and strength which makes everyday activities easier, despite their disease.”
This club got its start in 2017 when they realized that local residents with Parkinson’s disease had limited options of wellness classes devoted to them and their needs. The club is open to any student looking to pursue a career in healthcare or physical therapy. The participants will be punching heavy bags and mitts held by the coaches who are student volunteers.
The classes are held every Monday afternoon from 3 – 4:15 p.m. at the Bangor Y at 17 Second Street in Bangor, ME. These classes are free to participants. To get involved in this class the Fighting Eagles Boxing Club can be reached on their Facebook page, Facebook.com/PunchOutParkinsons, at FightingEaglesBoxing@gmail.com or contact Dr. Siegel at (207) 941-7049.
It has been more commonplace lately for people to use combat sports as a way of bettering their communities. It is nice to see combat sports so accepted, from people holding charity MMA events to teaching children and people in need some form of combat sport. The community is growing.
Would you like to see classes such as this one from the Fighting Eagles Boxing Club in your community?
