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Local boxers to entertain the troops
Friday August 1 2008 By Richard Vivian, Staff Writer Two Orangeville men are stepping into the ring next month in a show of support for Canadian soldiers.
Michael Soatta and Andrew Gales are taking part in an Aug. 16 show at CFB Petawawa, where the Canadian Emergency Services Boxing Association (CESBA) is holding a fundraising event.
“I come from a military family and it’s good to raise money for the soldiers ... (who) put their lives on the line for Canada over in Afghanistan,” says Mike Soatto. “It’s a great thing that we’re doing this.
“It’s going to be a great event.”
CESBA is a collection of police, firefighters, paramedics and correctional officers from across the county that promotes amateur boxing, encourage camaraderie and raises money to support various charities.
Proceeds from the Aug. 16 show are going to the Petawawa Military Family Resource Centre, which provides a wide range of services for the families of serving soldiers.
“We have quite a few reservists that are police officers and firefighters, so they’ll all be down there for that show,” CESBA president Barry Dolan says of his group’s special connection to that event. “We’re just going down to have a great night, raise some funds.”
Many of the soldiers expected to attend, Dolan notes, will be heading to Afghanistan about two weeks later.
Soatto says he hopes the show will “keep their spirits up and at the same time let them know that we’re still there for them and we respect everything that they’re doing for us.”
In preparation for Petawawa and other events, including one in Ottawa Sept. 27, CESBA members are gathering to work out at various gyms, with a stop at Orangeville’s Big Tyme Boxing on Tuesday.
“I was looking for a good workout to keep in shape for policing and Andrew [Gales] mentioned that he trains here,” Soatto, a Peel Regional Police officer, says. “I haven’t looked back since.”
“It’s awesome,” Gales, who is about to join the Peel force, says of CESBA. “It’s a good idea to get all these people together and do it — open up the doors of opportunity for everybody.”
The Ottawa event, which both Gales and Soatto are expected to attend, will raise money for the CPA-Robert Warner Memorial Fund, which provides one-time financial support for the families of officers killed in the line of duty.

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