About 10 years ago, he started the Downtown Boxing Gym, which operates under the motto "Books before Boxing." The gym recently got an unexpected call from CNN, notifying Sweeney that he was one of 10 people nominated for the CNN Hero award. Each nominee receives a $10,000 cash prize, but one of them will be named "CNN Hero of the Year" and receive $100,000 toward his or her cause, according to CNN. "We depend heavily on the business community, that's why I say they're the heroes," he said. Downtown Boxing Gym provides free tutoring for 156 students between 8 and 18 years old, with a heavy emphasis for one-on-one math and reading intervention.

Source: CNN December 10, 2017 13:07 UTC