CLEVELAND — After participating in 3News' day-long telethon in September to raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio, reporter/anchor Mike Polk Jr. had an idea.
He wondered, 'Why not keep the momentum going?' Polk then invited friends to the Broadway club to mingle with the kids and join them in the gym for a basketball drill known as “knockout.”
He hoped this idea would continue to build awareness for the local Boys & Girls Clubs, which have been forced to reduce services and close more than a dozen clubs in recent months because of serious reductions in federal funding.
And so a group of local celebrities gathered earlier this week for what Polk is calling the first-ever Boys & Girls Clubs Celebrity Knockout Challenge.
His first set of guests were all from the Cleveland media: 3News GO! anchor Danita Harris, WZAK-FM radio personality and restauranteur Sam Sylk, and four team members from the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show, which streams Monday through Friday on YouTube: Garrett Bush, Jason Lloyd, Mike Lucas and Anthony Antonelli.
Polk hosted the contest, which ended up being more friendly than competitive. Let’s just say that the contestants who play the game every day at the club had no problem outshooting the guests.
Tune in tonight at 7 p.m. to Front Row Friday on 3News for Polk's recap. He’ll announce the winner of the knockout challenge, and you’ll also hear a small sample of the epic trash-talking that both kids and adults were doing.
It was a great reminder of the fun programming and camaraderie that can be found anytime at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio.
Polk intends to repeat the challenge in November and December with more local celebrities and use it as an opportunity to raise funds for the clubs.
Watch tonight to see the kickoff of the challenge.
Donations can be made to the Boys & Girls Clubs by clicking HERE.
