MEDIA ADVISORY – For Immediate Release 07/17/13
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Tiffany Ogborn – Title Boxing Club Marketing Assistant, 813-484-3029, tiffany.ogborn@titleboxingclub.com
Vanna – Queena’s mother, (813) 751-5745, vannablue9@yahoo.com
A Self-Defense Fundraising Event for the Bloomingdale Library Survivor
Title Boxing Club will open its doors Saturday to “Fight for Queena”
WHAT: A self-defense fundraising event is planned on Saturday in honor of the Bloomingdale Library Survivor. Title Boxing Club will open its doors to teach a self-defense class in Queena’s honor. The one-hour class will incorporate more self-defense techniques than usual and also include a warm-up and cool-down.
WHO: The public is invited to take part in a self-defense class at Title Boxing Club in Brandon. Title Boxing Club will request a $20 donation to “Fight for Queena” while getting a great workout. With the $20 donation, participants will receive a free pair of hand wraps to take home and a great work-out. In addition, the normal membership enrollment fee of $99 will be waived for those attending the fundraiser and each new member will receive a one-time 30 percent discount on gloves.
WHEN & WHERE:
Saturday, July 20, 2013 from 1:00-2:00 p.m.
Title Boxing Club, 889 East Bloomingdale Ave, Brandon, FL 33511
WHY: In April 2008, Queena, known to the public as the Bloomingdale Library Attack Survivor, was brutally raped, beaten and left to die outside of the Bloomingdale Library. That horrible night her life changed in an instant. Equipped with an incredible will to survive, she did not die that night, and has spent the last five years working hard to recover from the brutal attack. Title Boxing Club wants to bring awareness to the ideas and basics of self-defense. Just think how things may be different if Queena was able to protect herself on that dreadful night more than five years ago.
Funds raised during this self-defense fundraiser will contribute to Queena’s ongoing medical expenses. Medicaid covers only $1,500 per year of the Survivor’s physical therapy and speech therapy, while nearly $70,000 is required annually for all of treatments that have helped her make such progress. These additional expenses are funded through the generosity of the community.
FACT: Self-defense is something that should not be taken lightly. According to Florida Department of Law Enforcement, forcible sex offenses have increased 15.8 percent from 2011 to 2012. Almost 200 forcible rapes were reported in Hillsborough County last year. More than 90 percent of these reported attacks was without a weapon and may have been prevented with self-defense. Keep in mind, many sexual offenses including rape are never reported to the authorities.
About Queena, the Bloomingdale Library Attack Survivor:
Prior to the attack Queena was about to graduate from high school and continue her education on a full scholarship to the University of Florida, but on that night, her life changed in an instant. Queena cannot walk, talk, see or eat on her own, but she is making improvements. She communicates through widening her eyes, smiling and clenching her fists. She requires around-the-clock care and attends daily physical, occupational and experimental therapies to aid her recovery. The recovery process is slow, but very noticeable, as she slowly makes strides toward regaining her own normalcy every day.
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