Sun Dragon Kickathon 2010

Back in the day, I used to post here and share to Facebook.  Times change.  I posted this to Facebook a few days back and thought I should put it up here, just in case anyone wanders by who doesn't keep up on FB: 

Hi Everybody!

It's that time of year--Sun Dragon's annual fundraiser to support our scholarship and self defense education programs (described below). Every dollar that you donate will go to keeping our doors open to anyone who's interested in studying karate and anyone who would like to take one of our comprehensive self defense training courses.  We believe that everyone should have these opportunities and with the help of donors like you over the years we've been able to welcome all comers, whether they can pay for classes or not.  Your support will help us continue to do this for another year.  If you've helped before and don't want to read any further, you can just click on the following link to become one of my sponsors with your tax deductible donation to Sun Dragon: 

 http://sundragon.dojiggy.com/pledge/index.cfm?mid=GRAHAM

What's a Kickathon?  It's like a Walkathon, only with kicks!  Sun Dragon students will be meeting at Zilker Park in Austin on November 6th to raise money but also to endure the physical challenge of throwing around 1500 kicks and punches (the youngest kids will be kicking and punching 200 times, older kids 500 times, adults 1000 times and those of us who are helping the kids will try to hit the 1500 mark).  As if that's not enough, we'll also have the chance to join in a fun run before the event or do kata for half an hour.  If you sign up as one of my sponsors then I'll be kicking and punching and kata-ing for you as well as for the dojo (I won't be running--there are limits to what I'll do for the school).

I assume that most of you who are my Facebook friends know that I've been studying martial arts for some time (almost eighteen years now!) and that it's an important part of my life.  When I moved to Austin ten years ago, I tried to find a karate school that taught the same style I'd been training in for eight years.  My girlfriend at the time was training at Sun Dragon and so I wound up going there for promotions and social events and I became friends with a lot of the students.  Eventually, I realized Sun Dragon was where I wanted to train, not only because I thought Sensei Suzanne was an amazing martial artist but also because I loved the inclusiveness, the emphasis on self defense training for everyone, and the supportive community at the school.  I've been training with them ever since and have been on the board of directors for I guess about six years now, which has given me the chance to not only train students on a classroom basis but it's also given me a say in the overall direction of our organization.

At this point, you may be asking yourself--board of directors?  What sort of karate school has a board of directors?  Well, we're a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and so we have a board of directors to oversee Sun Dragon, to make sure that we are pursuing our mission and to make sure that we use our money wisely and responsibly.  I don't get paid for my work as an instructor (though I don't have to pay monthly tuition) or as a board member so I'm not doing this to line my pockets or anything fishy like that.

If you'd like to support me in the Kickathon, please click the following link to reach my fundraising page (if you're not comfortable with the online process, send me an IM and I'll give you alternatives or you can visit the dojo website at www.sundragon.org and mail contributions directly to the dojo): 

 http://sundragon.dojiggy.com/pledge/index.cfm?mid=GRAHAM

Whether or not you're able to donate at this time, I want you to know that I appreciate your interest and support.

 Thanks so much,

Graham

 Karate Scholarships & Work Study

Kickathon funds directly support the Sun Dragon scholarship fund.  Our scholarship program is available to any student or organization needing financial assistance to participate in any of our classes.  Participants in our scholarship program fill out a simple application that shows the extent of their financial need and they receive discounted class tuition based on a sliding scale.  Approximately 15% of our karate students receive scholarships. 

Sun Dragon has only one paid employee, our Sensei Joy Williamson.  In order to help run the dojo, we also sponsor several work study students who help out in the office and with various administrative tasks.  Again, funds raised during the Kickathon help make it possible to defray the costs of reduced tuition for these work study students.

Self Defense Education

The money raised during our Kickathon also supports our reduced-cost and free violence prevention workshops for local non-profit organizations.   Sun Dragon provides personal safety training and violence prevention workshops for women, children, and men. We believe that an individual is most likely to make the best decisions in threatening situations when she or he has developed a variety of responses, including assertive boundary setting, conflict resolution techniques, and physical defense skills.

Sun Dragon self defense workshops:

• Teach skills in awareness, assertiveness, verbal confrontation skills, safety strategies, and physical techniques, to help students prevent, escape, resist and survive assault, abuse or harassment.
• Provide training in psychological awareness and verbal skills, not just physical skills.

Sun Dragon has partnered with Austin-area groups such as SafePlace, Austin Recovery Center, Girls Scouts Lone Star Council, Settlement Home, GenAustin, LifeWorks, Garden Terrace, Communities in Schools, Avance, Morning Star Rising, and the YWCA, to provide self-defense training for women and girls in all walks of life.

Sun Dragon’s Mission Statement

Sun Dragon Martial Arts and Self Defense supports the physical and spiritual empowerment of all through training in conflict resolution, self defense, and non-violent martial arts.

We offer a safe and affirming learning environment for all. We believe that we can end violence in our community, and that self defense is every person’s right.

Sun Dragon Martial Arts and Self Defense is a registered non-profit organization.  We have a single paid employee which means that our overhead costs are extremely low.  Not only is the money you donate during the Kickathon tax deductible, you can be assured that we will use the money wisely and efficiently in pursuing our mission.