Martial arts makes a lot out of giving back. Ripple Effect upper belts are always helping lower belts learn curriculum. Our schools’ fundraising efforts this year ranged from raising nearly $2,000 for the Susan Komen Foundation to more than $5,100 for hurricane relief.
Some gestures were more focused but just as meaningful. Students delivered cookies to fire stations and sent huge shipments of personal Halloween candy to U.S. soldiers overseas.
We also hosted Salvation Army Angel Trees in the schools, which generated hundreds of gifts for local kids and families. (Just one of the ways karate adds to the fun of everyone’s holiday season.)
The thanks for these efforts go to you, the greater Ripple Effect community of students and families, who never stop looking for ways to give back. All students need to create community-centered leadership projects and complete at least 40 hours of volunteer service by the time they test for Black Belt. The beneficiaries include the elderly, cancer patients, schools, churches and natural areas like Arapahoe Bend in Fort Collins. It all amounts to a huge positive impact on our Colorado communities.
It also gets personal. Dr. Stacie Johns, an MD in Fort Collins, has been known to bring incredibly well-behaved service dogs into the chaotic karate environment (as part of their training). She also spends very long hours helping sick kids, including in emergency situations. She also has kids of their own, and when their babysitter recently ran into some trouble Dr. Johns set up a GoFundMe page to get the word out and get her back on her feet. (This fundraising campaign is still live as of this post, so check it out if you’d like to help.)
We’re so proud of our students and their giving spirit. Have a wonderful Christmas and keep it going strong in the New Year!
