By DAVE O’SULLIVAN

Staff Writer

What started out as a ripple of an idea has become a tidal wave of support for needy families throughout the past 13 years.
Jon Simon has been a local personal trainer and boxing coach for years, and 13 years ago, while teaching classes at Island Gym, he noticed that the Toys For Tots box at the gym was relatively empty. He decided to make an offer to his fitness students, and what began as a whim has now turned into an annual movement that benefits thousands of families at Christmas.
“It started 13 years ago. I teach a boxing class; at the time I was at Island Gym and now I’m at the JCC in Margate. I noticed that the Toys For Tots bin had no toys in it. So, just on a whim, I told people I would waive my fee for the next class if people brought a toy in. We proceeded to do that, and the response was incredible. People brought in bikes, Big Wheels, stuff like that,” Simon said. “The next year I opened it up to all three classes (in the week leading up to Christmas), where I would waive the fee if somebody brought in a toy, and it got to the point where we got bigger and started to take on local charities. Our signature charity at the time was DYFS, and we said we would donate all the toys to them. Through the years, it has grown to the point where now we gave away about 6,000 toys last year to 14 organizations and various local families; basically anybody who needed a toy.”
Boxx For Tots, as it has come to be known, now is one of the biggest toy collecting drives in South Jersey. This past December, Boxx For Tots brought in nearly 7,000 toys, as the lobby of the JCC began overflowing with all kinds of toys for boys and girls.
“We start collecting the day after Thanksgiving, and it all leads up to the Boxx For Tots classes (the week before Christmas). It’s gotten to the point where we have local DJs come in and donate their time. We sometimes have surprise holders — like Virgil Hill, five-time world champion, will come in and make an appearance. We just try to make it bigger and bigger each year,” Simon said. “I think one of the reasons we are so much more successful than other toy drives is any donation, I literally go out, get some guys with trucks — like this year we went out to Big Lots and spent $4,000 (from cash donations) and loaded up three trucks that we brought back and put into the lobby at the JCC. We give them to local charities, so every cent that is donated goes directly to toys. Our goal is to make sure every child has a toy at Christmas.”
Boxing is a passion for Simon, who as a personal trainer has worked with a variety of boxers, including guys such as Hill, who won a silver medal at the 1984 Olympics and went on to win several professional titles in both the WBA and IBF. Hill was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 1987 he knocked out Leslie Stewart in Atlantic City to win the light-heavyweight title. He fought such big-name boxers as Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns and Roy Jones Jr.
“My background is I’m a personal trainer who has been fortunate enough to work with some professional boxers, so it’s one-on-one boxing. The class is a circuit class, so it incorporates almost any kind of fitness. We have spin bikes, steps, 10 or 11 great guys who volunteer their time to come out and hold pads, so you get to put on the gloves and beat up on us for a little bit,” Simon said. “We get tons of new people each Boxx for Tots class. Last year, our biggest class was 81 people and I’d like to get to 100, I think that would be amazing. We probably get about 15 new people each year and hopefully they stick around and try the class because it’s a great workout.”
Simon doesn’t go out of his way to draw attention to himself, but he does want people to know about what he does each December so that even more kids can get a toy for Christmas each year, he said. And, he has plenty of help when it comes to organizing and putting on the boxing classes.
“It’s a community effort. I’m fortunate to have a great group of people come out every year. I have my regular guys with me every week, then we bring in more people to help out (around the holidays),” he said. “Our main objective is, we want to have these kids get toys. I don’t personally deliver a lot of the toys because I’d much rather have the family enjoy that moment of giving the toy to a child. We’re fortunate enough to have all of South Jersey helping us out every year. Each year somebody new steps up to help out in different ways. It’s really cool to see this happening every year.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays