Published: June 9, 2016 | Updated: May 9, 2019
On Oct. 27, 1966, Muhammad Ali met Doug Jones in a six-round exhibition bout at Freedom Hall. But it wasn’t just about the boxing. The match-up was a benefit for the Children’s Hospital Foundation, which netted more than $6,000 from the fight.
The day before the match-up, Ali visited children at Children’s Free Hospital (now Norton Children’s Hospital). As The Louisville Times wrote, he signed casts, practiced kids’ spelling assignments and gave hugs. A planned 20-minute visit turned into an hour.
Years later, Ali again helped the hospital by attending the I.N. Bloom Elementary School “Kids for Kids” celebration, where students announced their fundraising efforts for Norton Children’s Hospital through the Children’s Hospital Foundation. Through the foundation’s “Kids for Kids” program, the students conducted service learning projects that raised more than $40,000 for diabetes programming at the hospital.