Preventing Violence with "Spirit"

Chicago, IL, April 22, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center, NFP, will be hosting its fourth annual Spirit Challenge fundraiser from May 24 to May 31, 2009. Featuring multiple martial and athletic challenges to both karate students and outside fitness enthusiasts, the event will raise scholarship funds for students devoted to their practice, and help maintain Thousand Waves’ ongoing violence prevention programs in Chicago-area schools and community agencies.

As a non-profit organization, Thousand Waves holds the Spirit Challenge every spring and the Punch and Kick-a-Thon every fall. The events raise tens of thousands of dollars annually, as members and their families pledge to raise a minimum of $200 one time each year.

“We started this event several years ago to give our adult and teen members a chance to display their athletic skills, while also raising the necessary funds to keep our school and its programs running. We need these funds for our operations, self-defense outreach programs in schools and community agencies for youth and teens at risk from violence, and our scholarship fund that allows students with financial hardships to study self-defense and karate. This year may prove to be more challenging, so we are giving Sprit Challenge participants as much information as possible on how to fundraise,” says Thousand Waves co-founder Nancy Lanoue.

The opening event on May 24 will feature Thousand Waves’ own Spirit Challenge Team for Bike the Drive. Karate students and their families can bike for 15, 30 or 60 miles, starting 5:30 a.m. at Columbus and Jackson, and benefit both Thousand Waves and the Active Transportation Alliance.

On May 30, Thousand Waves members, their families and the general public will demonstrate their cardiovascular endurance by completing the 3/6/9 Mile Run-Walk along a lakefront path, starting near Montrose Harbor. This event is open to anyone ages 12 and up. Kids younger than 12 will have their own “Fun Run,” ranging from a quarter-mile to a full mile.

Other events to be held on May 30 and May 31 include the “Sole Survivor Muscle Endurance” challenge, Board Breaking, Sparring, Kata (choreographed martial arts routines), and martial arts performance pieces by Black Belt members of the school. All events are free and open to public spectators.

According to Lanoue, “We’ve set our fundraising goal for Spirit Challenge at $60,000, and we expect to meet it, and hopefully raise even more. Ultimately, we’d also like to establish ourselves in Chicago as a non-profit resource delivering ongoing violence prevention education. We believe in educating the public about techniques to defuse aggression and how to intervene when they see violence happening."

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About Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center:
Thousand Waves Martial Arts and Self-Defense Center, NFP, is a 501(c) non-profit educational institution located in Chicago. Key programs include traditional martial arts for adults, teens and children; free self-defense seminars serving over 400 people annually; Meditations on Violence, an ongoing public lecture series with activists in the struggle to reduce global violence; and a volunteer-led Performance Team that gives free educational and entertaining martial arts presentations for faith-based organizations, schools and community centers. The Thousand Waves Scholarship Fund gives grants totaling $1500/month to 25-30 individuals to participate in martial arts and self-defense programs. Funds are also used to support non-profits and schools that want to sponsor a program for their clients, but have no training budget. For more information, please visit www.thousandwaves.org.