Over 30 martial arts students broke boards for a good cause.
Richmond Martial Arts held its annual fundraiser today for the first time in two years, and it was a resounding success.
The aim of this year’s Break A Thon at Lansdowne Center was “to help end violence against women and children”.
The students collected pledges for every sign they break during the public display, and 100% of the proceeds go directly to Martial Arts for Justice.
“Martial arts is about helping the world, and there’s really not much we can do when it comes to high-level threats. So we can do something like this when we teach kids, ‘Look, we make a difference through our martial arts!” explained Johnny Ahmed, owner of Richmond Martial Arts.
The event also teaches students that they can help the world by using their spirit in addition to their strength, and show that we are stronger as a community, Ahmed added.
Eight-year-old Jordana Zinger was all smiles after breaking about 20 boards with her hands and feet, even though her hand hurt while doing a side chop.
“I’m happy about it,” said Zinger, who started learning martial arts for self-defense and wanted to break boards to end violence against women and children around the world.
This summer will mark the third year of learning martial arts for Zinger, and today was the second time she joined the Break A Thon.
Over 30 children participated in the event, breaking approximately 200 boards. These superheroes also got to pose for photos with Richmond’s martial arts eagle mascot and Spider-Man.
The event has raised over $3,000 so far, and those interested in donating to the cause can visit the donation link for the event.