Karate Marathon Supports St. Jude Hospital
By Space Coast Daily // May 2, 2012
Eradicating Cancer
BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA BEACH, FLORIDA – Karate students from the Cocoa Beach Matsubayashi Karate School are training hard for their annual three-hour karate marathon May 11 to raise funds for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Kids and adults participate by performing 100 kata or karate forms, with each one consisting of more than 20 karate moves.
The students obtain sponsorships from family, friends and co-workers.
Donors can make pledges based on the number of kata completed by the participant or merely make a flat donation.
“This annual event is an opportunity for our students to combine their passion for martial arts with helping to save lives of children battling cancer and other catastrophic diseases and to teach our students and staff the power they have through volunteerism” said karate school director Des Chaskelson.
Donations are made by check or online using a site created by St Jude Children’s Research Hospital on the karate school’s facebook page.
Checks are made out directly to St Jude and online donations go directly to St Jude with 100 percent of all donations received going to the hospital.
In addition, the Cocoa Beach Karate School also conducts a self-defense seminar for the public coinciding with the St Jude fundraiser.
It teaches basic assault prevention and self-defense tactics and techniques and is open to all ages and donations for admission will go to St Jude.
This is the fourth year that the Cocoa Beach Matsubayashi Karate School will be participating in the fundraiser and has raised more than $16,000 to date for the hospital.
Since opening 50 years ago, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has changed the way the world treats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.
No family ever pays St. Jude for the care that their child receives and for every child treated, thousands more have been saved worldwide through St. Jude medical discoveries.
For more information, to reserve a spot or to make a donation, call Des Chaskelson at 321-693-7831 or visit CocoaBeachKarate.com.
