United Pro Wrestling holds Toys for Tots fundraiser at “November to Remember” in Allen County

SCOTTSVILLE, Ky. – United Pro Wrestling, a local independent wrestling promotion, hosted their “November to Remember” show while also hosting a Toys for Tots drive to benefit those in Allen County.

“All the toys collected and all the proceeds that are donated tonight are going to stay in Allen County, and help families in Allen County,” Seth LeDuc, one of the wrestlers for UPW known as the Maple Leaf Monster, says.

Some of the wrestlers even pooled together to donate some toys.

“Me and a few of the boys have taken liberties to get toys and fill the baskets up ourselves, because we really care about what’s going on here, and we want to give back to the community,” Brandon Wolfe, known as the Wolfe Man, says.

For the kids in South Central Kentucky this holiday season, it’s going to be a holiday to remember.

“We believe that the local people want those toys to stay local, and that’s why they support local events like the one here with United Pro Wrestling,” Janel Doyle, Toys for Tots Southern Kentucky’s coordinator, says.

She adds they’ve done plenty of events together in Warren County in the past, but this is the first time they’ve done a show in Allen County. It’s also the first wrestling show in Allen County in seven years.

Allen County Toys for Tots coordinator Lesa Keen says the need in her community is strong.

“I’ve already got probably over 150 calls, and each day I get at least 20 calls a day. So the need is growing,” she says.

The wrestlers have their own stories they want to tell as well. For LeDuc, he’s a teacher at James E Bazzell Middle School, where the show was held. He’s grateful to the kids that come by and see him do what he loves.

“When I started teaching, I’d been in the wrestling business for a long time, and one of my goals was to wrestle at a school that I taught at. I always encourage kids to try things. Follow your dreams, shoot for the stars, because you never know unless you try something. You might not make it to the very top of whatever your chosen profession is, but you can still love what you do, and you can still take chances and risks, and that is okay… and you can still enjoy life and enjoy things that you’re passionate about,” he says.

For Wolfe, he hopes to be an inspiration to future generations.

“Growing up with autism, wrestling helped me get through a lot of it. Wrestling helped me get through the social aspect because I was not a very social person and this helped me tremendously… and I just want to give back to the kids that… they need the inspiration. I want to be an inspirer, and I want to give back to what wrestling gave to me,” he says.