Community Contributions

One of my biggest goals and purposes in life is to give back to the community and those in need. Through the contributions I have made, and what I have learned about volunteer work throughout my martial arts journey, have prepared me to achieve my goal of giving back and helping those in need. 

A major part of the leadership team at my martial arts studio was giving back to the community. We did this by not only teaching both children and adults how to defend themselves, but also, by giving back to the community by hosting fundraisers to support local charities. Some of the charity events we hosted included board-break-a-thons. This meant I would find community members to "sponsor" me and I would raise money from these sponsors based on how many boards I broke at the event, so each board meant more money. The money raised was then donated to local charities, one of which was Team G, a foundation that raised money to support families that have children with cancer. 

Additionally, every year around the winter holiday season, the team conducted a bake sale where we would sell treats to raise money to buy toys for toys-for-tots. Toys-for-tots is a foundation that provides toys and other gifts for children who would otherwise not receive a gift around the holiday season because their families or guardians cannot afford it. Every year, our team raises money, buys toys to donate, and then goes to the warehouse to help the event organizers sort out the toys to be distributed to children based on their age, gender, etc. 

What I learned from these community contributions inspired me to help others in ways of my own. From a young age, I taught myself how to sew, so I decided to put those skills to use. I sewed some of the items that I knew how to make best and sold them to neighbors, my parents coworkers, family members, etc. I then took the money I had made and donated it to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. 

The skills I have learned from my journey as a martial artist will help me continue to give back to every community possible. I plan to utilize the skills I have learned to raise awareness and gain resources for those who cannot afford proper healthcare, domestic violence and women's shelters, and environmental programs to help fight climate change.