GREAT FALLS — Each year, I Fight (with Flow State Athletics) chooses an organization they can partner with to help make a positive impact in the community.
Toby’s House Crisis Nursery was a natural choice for I Fight owner Nick Nordell, who said he understands having a difficult upbringing as a child and is passionate about helping kids in similar situations.
“Through wrestling and fighting growing up, I used that as a positive upbringing instead of being a terror. I would go out and I would take my anger out on, you know, a heavy bag or on the wrestling mat. So, there are positive [outlets] for kids in this kind of situation,” said Nordell.
This year, I Fight is partnering with Toby’s House Crisis Nursery to support families in need this holiday season, with ‘Shop with a Fighter.’
“Every fund that we receive is going to be donated directly to Toby's House. That's including sponsorships, donations and some drives that we're getting ready to do,” explained Nordell.
Toby’s House Crisis Nursery relies on the community’s generosity and support to raise the funds they need to serve the families they help.
“This year, the funding that we're receiving for Toby's House, for all the families that we're serving, is going to be through Flow State Athletics and Nick Nordell over at I Fight. They're doing various different fundraisers to support our families,” said Mysten Price, director of Toby’s House.
“They're going to go shopping with a fighter for all their wants and needs. Obviously, kids deserve to have a great Christmas, so they're going to go out and they're going to pick their favorite fighter,” explained Nordell. “The fighters can take them to the toy aisle and they're going to pick out what they've always wanted for this Christmas.”
Their goal is to raise $5,000 by Friday, December 6th to sponsor a child in need. All funds donated to I Fight, including every ticket and sponsorship purchased, will go directly to supporting Toby’s House.
“All of the staff at Toby's House, myself included, are super passionate about serving the children of the community and having an opportunity to partner with I Fight is just going to be wonderful,” said Price. “The impact that it's going to make on the families that we serve is massive.”
Shop with a Fighter will be on Sunday, December 8th.
If you would like to donate, call Nick at 406-590-1048, or Mysten at 406-899-8000. You can also click here to donate via the Toby's House website.
Toby’s House was created in honor of October "Toby" Perez, a two-year-old girl who died at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend in Great Falls in 2011. The crisis nursery provides short-term care for children voluntarily brought there by a parent or legal guardian.
Toby’s House’s mission is to prevent child abuse and neglect by providing accessible emergency child care for a number of reasons - for example, if the caregiver is resolving personal issues and cannot care for the child as they would like, emergency custody issues, medical emergencies, or for mental health or sobriety support.