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Lee’s Family Martial Arts Academy hosted its third annual Break-a-Thon
this year at the Renton River Days Kids’ Fair on July
22nd at Liberty Park. This year LMA joined forces with
three other local martial arts schools—Kim's Tae Kwon Do,
Exceed
Martial Arts, and
Ms. Mari's Martial Arts.—and raised more than $15,000. All the money was donated to
Communities in
Schools of Renton.
Seventy-eight martial arts students, ages 4 to 16, had to solicit at
least $25 from family and friends with per-board
donations or a fixed amount to compete in the event.
Together, students from the four schools broke 2,606
boards with their martial arts kicks and strikes.
See the
Break-a-Thon 2011 List of Winners here.
To help motivate students, LMA offered prizes to its top three
fundraisers. And each time students raised $25, their
names were entered into a drawing for free tuition! A
total of $2,499 in tuition was given away on July 25.
See the LMA
In-house list of prize winners and tuition winners here.
What is Break-a-Thon?
Break-a-Thon is much like a walk-a-thon. Participants
solicit funds from family and friends with per-board
donations or a fixed amount. At the actual event the
kids use their martial arts kicks to break as many
boards as they can in a set amount of time. At last
year's Break-a-Thon we raised over
$5,000.00! Our efforts were recognized by the
Renton
School Board.
When is Break-a-Thon?
Break-a-Thon is held each year during the Renton
River Days Kids' Fair at Liberty Park.
Why does LMA host its annual Break-a-Thon?
It’s fun for the kids and it teaches them about
community responsibility. It also helps at-risk kids in
our community succeed in school.
Who does Break-a-Thon benefit?
It benefits our community by providing necessary
funding to Communities in Schools of Renton (CISR).
Why does LMA donate the money to CISR?
By giving back to the community we live in, we
teach our kids by example to “Always give more than you
take.”
What about prizes?
What prizes are available?
Each year we purchase several nice prizes for the
kids who raise the most money for CISR. Prizes in past
years have included bicycles, I-pods, laptops, Net
books, and a Great Wolf Lodge package. Prizes vary
depending on what’s hot each year and how much money we
have to spend.
Where do the prizes come from?
Each year prior to our Break-a-Thon we do a
“pre-fundraiser.” We raffle off a date night package,
which includes a gift card to the Landing Movie Theater,
a gift card to a local restaurant, and two free passes
to our Parents Night Out (PNO). Also, the proceeds from
PNO that night are donated to the prize fund.
Who can enter to win the drawing for tuition?
All kids participating in the Break-a-Thon are
eligible for our Free Tuition Drawing. For every $25
your child raises he will get one entry into the
drawing. For example, if he raises $100, he’ll get
entered into the drawing four times.
Isn’t fundraising hard?
How should my child ask people for donations?
In past Break-a-Thons most donators just offered up a
flat fee/donation to the kids participating. Kids can
ask for a per-board donation but all funds must be
collected and turned in prior to the event, so your child
will need to estimate how many boards he will break at
the event. Sometimes it's easier for kids to collect on
the first five boards they break, so if a neighbor
sponsors your child $5 per board, your child can collect
$25 before the event and then still break as many boards
as he wants.
How does LMA help children and their parents ask for
donations?
Kids and/or parents can approach family and friends
and explain what we are doing and whom the donations are
going to. We will also prepare an e-version of our
donation request so that you can e-mail it. That way,
potential donators can view it in their own time with no
face-to-face pressure, or just delete it if not
interested. Think of how many people you have in your
contact list!
Who is eligible to participate?
Can teens help at this event?
Yes, please! We are going to need lots of help for
this event to run smoothly. You may also enter into the
competition if you are under 18 and still living at
home. Please note: we will start the board breaking with
the youngest kids first. When we get to your group there
may not be enough boards left for everyone to break as
many as they can. We’ll just have to go with what we
have left. We may have to get creative and just do some
really cool exhibition breaks! So start thinking of
something EXTRAORDINARY to wow the crowd!
Can adults help at this event?
Most definitely! We will need adults to help organize
this event and staff the booth on the day of the event.
We will also need help setting up and breaking down the
booth. We will be putting together a list of all the
positions we need to fill so you can pick the one that
best suits you.
Can my child just raise money for this event, and
not break any boards?
Yes, your child can just raise money, not break
boards, and still be eligible for the prizes and free
tuition drawing. Remember, our goal is to raise money
for CISR. Breaking boards is just a fun incentive for
the kids to solicit donations.
Can my child break boards at the event if he hasn’t
raised money?
No, your child must raise at least $25 dollars to
participate in the event.
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