When Adam Schwam first stepped into the ring for the then-fledgling nonprofit fundraiser known as the Long Island Fight For Charity in 2004, he raised $25,000 before his bout with just snail-mail marketing.
As he prepares for a comeback 15 years later, the 48-year-old CEO of Farmingdale-based IT service provider Sandwire Corporation already reached that amount a month before the Nov. 25 boxing match thanks to advances in online crowdsourcing — and a short Rocky spoof he produced.
“Rocky has been an inspiration to almost anyone who’s watched it,” he says. “Everyone wanted to be Rocky. And the Long Island Fight For Charity allowed that dream to come true. And this film took it to the next level.”
Schwam will be among dozens of local business leaders-turned- volunteer pugilists going head to head for a good cause at this charity boxing event’s 16th annual one-night-only bout. Local charities supported include the Long Island Community Chest, the Genesis School, and the National Foundation for Human Potential.
But Schwam is the only one of the group who teamed up with videographer Tyler Miranda of FrameShift Creative, who directed the short. Playing the part of Apollo Creed is his friend and opponent in the coming match, Bert Lurch, CEO of E Central Medical Management in New Hyde Park.
The name of the film is What Are A Few Punches Worth?, which was the slogan for his original campaign and has been the tag line for the event ever since.
“That’s the big question,” Schwam says. “Why’s it named that? A few punches are worth wheelchairs…maybe a few mortgage payments for people who are down on their luck. A few punches are worth hope. And I would take a few punches for that any day.”
The Long Island Fight For Charity will be held at the Hilton Long Island/Huntington, 598 Broadhollow Rd., Melville at 6 p.m. Nov. 25. Tickets are $135. For more information, visit lifightforcharity.org
What Are A Few Punches Worth? will be screened at Bellmore Movies and Showplace, 222 Pettit Ave., Bellmore, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 4 following a fundraiser that starts at 6 p.m. Tickets are $50. To view the film online, visit Sandwire’s YouTube channel or view the trailer below.
