Our Story
“[sic] Seems to really connect with kids. Has been practicing martial arts for several years and was teaching karate to "at risk" kids out of his garage until the classes became too large for his limited space. Not saying he is against money but believe his true aim is to mentor kids into becoming responsible adults. Has a great relationship with hands-on parents and prefers family participation where possible.” --Michael Stokes, Sunnyvale CA
Collette Martial Arts (CMA) is a community outreach program that focuses on building a strong foundation of the core principles in our members. We use martial arts to strengthen the individual by instilling a sense of Respect, Self-Confidence, Courage, Self-Control, Integrity, Discipline, and Humility.
By participating in our classes, students learn to work both individually, and as a team. Our students are able to take these skills into other aspects of their lives, and apply them to work, school, and relationships.
CMA is structured as a legal, for-profit business entity; however, it is run as you would a non-profit organization. This allows us more flexibility to take support from any place we find it, and to make decisions based on what is best for the student base, rather than what is best for the bottom line. To date, this project was funded entirely from our own pockets; we just really believe that this is something that is needed in our community. By functioning this way, we are able to provide our students with a commercial setting and allowing our students to keep their dignity, rather than feeling as though they were being given a hand-out.
This project is to allow us to continue to go and grow for the next 12 months, and to become completely self-sustaining.
The Impact
Funding from crowdsourcing will help us bring CMA to hundreds of
students in the San Francisco Bay Area. It will also help us to provide
uniforms, and require gear to our students, and allow them to
participate in the fantastic Martial Arts Seminars and Tournaments in
the Bay Area.
Our staff and supporting parents are genuinely troubled by the recent
global wave of horrific bullying incidents resulting in expulsions from
school, physical and verbal abuse, and in some cases, suicide.
These incidents are prime examples of what our programs are designed to
prevent. The idea is to help bring out the positive in each student; by
not only bringing kids in off the street to do something more
productive physically, but also mentoring them on how to they can become
a positive influence on future generations. We are focused on building
a better future, one kid at a time.
What We Need & What You Get
To keep this project going and growing, we need a total of 15,000.00. What we are asking for is 8,000.00, and the rest is funded by family and friends. To date, my wife and I have put in over 10,000.00 to get the project launched. We are working very hard to not just keep the project going, but to spread the word about the project. In the end, our goal is not to be known as Just Another Karate School, but to be known as the program that turned out some of the bay areas finest, most upstanding, and unique individuals. Help us to get the program off the ground.
Other Ways You Can Help
Please - please - spread the word about our project! The more people that know about it, the more at-risk and underprivileged people we can help.