Ninja and Samurai Martial Arts Dojo

Archive for the ‘Volunteer Work’ Category

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Poway Veterans Park Bike Run

Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Poway Veterans Park Poker Run, a motorcycle run to benefit a new veterans’ memorial park being built in Poway, CA. It was a great event that supported a great cause. It was very well organized and those responsible for setting this up are due a tremendous thanks for their hard work. Volunteering and being of service to the community is something that is important to me and I instill these values to my students at the martial arts school as well.

All of my family was working hard at the event. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law were key organizers, and he rode in it. My mother-in-law and father-in-law were at 2 of the rest stops, as was I. My wife took my kids to the site where the park is going to be built where my son put up a lemonade stand and gave out free lemonade to all the bikers. Then at the end, I took my son to the VFW to enjoy the BBQ and festivities. I even ran into some old Marine Corps buddies I hadn’t seen in years.

Anyone who is in the San Diego area and wasn’t able to participate this year, it will most likely be back next year as the park will need ongoing maintenance and funds will need to be raised to support that. Keep an eye for more information on that next year. For those who are veterans or wish to honor them, this is an event not to be missed!
See you in the dojo.

Tony Whetstine (The Bushido Guy) and Marine Corps Veteran
Poway Samurai Martial Arts

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Support the New Poway Veterans Park

The City of Poway is going to build a Veteran’s park on Midland Road and they need your help. On June 6, 2010, there is going to be a Motorcycle Benefit Ride to help raise money. As a Marine Corps veteran and Poway Citizen, I am donating 1 month of free martial arts training as a raffle prize (a $100 value). You can participate in several ways: riding in the benefit or donating directly. Donating $25 gets you a raffle ticket and ride entry and $1 more enters you in the poker hand for the Bike run.

Ride Details:

1. Ride will take place on Sunday, 6 June 2010.
2. Event will start and end at Poway VFW Post 7907 (12342 Old Pomerado Road Poway, CA 92064)
3. Registration begins at 0830 and ends at 0925.
4. Riders depart at 0945.
5. Ride will make stops at: Moreland Choppers, Vista VFW Post 7041, Escondido Cycle Center, Ramona VFW Post 3783, Poway Veterans Park Future Location
6. Ride completed no later than 1300.
7. Prize awarded for best hand and raffle conducted at end of ride.

It is a poker run. People start at the Poway VFW and then at each stop, they draw a playing card which is recorded on their “poker hand card.” At the end of the run they will have drawn enough cards for a poker hand and the best hand wins the “pot”. At the end of the run, back at the Poway VW, there will be free hot dogs and hamburgers, music, and the raffle prizes are given away (along with awarding the poker hand pot).

To Sign Up for the Motorcycle Ride:
Ride Point of Contact is Joe “Gunner” Vaineharrison at: vaineharrison@aol.com 858-722-9206
To participate in the Motorcycle Ride, email Joe for the entry form.

To Send a Check:
Make checks payable to “City of Poway” (write “Veteran’s Park” in memo). Donation is tax deductable. The receipt will come directly from the City of Poway.
If you cannot attend on June 6th, please mail your donation to:
Joe Vaineharrison
12247 Buckskin Trail
Poway, Ca 92064

See you in the dojo.
Tony Whetstine (The Bushido Guy)
Poway Samurai Martial Arts

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Daisy Scout Troop 8007

My student Hannah Pittman and I were very happy to donate our time last month to help Daisy Scout Troop 8007 learn about strength and courage at our martial arts school in Poway. Courage and Strength was the topic they needed to learn in order for them to receive their red petal.

We talked about how being strong can be physical or inner strength and what it means to have the courage to be strong and do the right thing for ourselves and others. We went over how to stay safe, how to be strong, and how to be assertive. And, of course we had some fun drills and exercises that reinforced those lessons. It’s important they learn to stand up for themselves and others by physically demonstrating and saying “no” if they feel endangered and also learning how to safely ask for help from parents and teachers, when they or others need it.

Girl Scout Daisies meet in groups of 5 to 10 with two or more adult leaders in a nurturing, inclusive environment. They go on trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities.

I am always happy to volunteer my time in the community and I encourage my students to do the same. I enjoy speaking and demonstrating safety techniques to groups of all ages, from Girl Scouts to Elementary and Middle Schools as well as Women’s Organizations and Senior Centers. If you know of an organization who would be interested, please have them give me a call #858-486-0059.

Photo shows from left to right: Daisy Scouts Cassie Ferguson, Paige Hartung, Danielle Corrao, Kaitlyn Foley, Lauren Marvuglio, Erin Kalinsky. Instructor Tony Whetstine and his student, Hannah Pittman.

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I’m excited to be speaking at the Mira Mar Rotary club this Thursday about how to reach At Risk Youths. Every year the number of kids who become “at risk” for getting involved in gangs increases. Especially in these tough economic times, parents are working as much as possible and unfortunately away from home for longer periods of time than ever before. Many parents cannot afford after school programs for their kids and some kids who do attend them, are not getting the attention and mental stimulation they need to stay out of trouble.

A traditional martial arts program can help kids of all ages stay out of risk and out of trouble. One of the main reasons it works is due to the focus on self-improvement. This leads to higher self-esteem and when you feel good about yourself, you are not looking for ways to act out for negative attention. Martial arts classes motivate kids to work hard and improve themselves, day by day. An ethical instructor provides a strong role model so the children learn important life lessons. When kids don’t have a role model to learn from, they try to learn right from wrong from their peers which doesn’t work. This can lead to gang situations and lots of trouble for society.

In a good traditional martial arts program like the one we teach at Poway Samurai Martial Arts, everyone participates and supports each other. Unlike many sports activities, there are no teams. Everyone learns together and excels together but each in their own way. Kids can even help each other learn as the older ones can become role models for the younger ones. All the students learn positive life skills and values to help them succeed in whatever they choose to do in life.

I will be emphasizing this information to the Mira Mar Rotary club tomorrow because it really is a simple matter of “Pay Now” by sponsoring kids to take martial arts classes and save them while there is still time or “Pay A Lot More Later” as their actions cause society to suffer with crime and violence. If you have a group interested in learning more about how to support “At Risk Youth Programs” or, if you know of an organization ready to provide a sponsorship for kids now, please contact me at #858-486-0059.

Thank you!
Tony Whetstine (The Bushido Guy)

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Donate for the San Diego Food Bank

Poway Samurai Martial Arts has teamed up with KOHunger.com, a national coalition of martial arts schools who are committed to help end hunger in their own communities. Residents of Poway and San Diego are encouraged to donate a can of food to receive one free week of martial arts training.

Being of service to others is a key part of the training at Poway Samurai Martial Arts. Participating in the KOHunger program fits in well with our philosophy and is why we decided to help and offer the free week for a good cause.

The offer of one free week of martial arts classes is available until Dec. 18. All proceeds will be donated to the San Diego food bank (sandiegofoodbank.org). Those who make donations can redeem their free week of classes for any program, any time before January 15, 2010.

Residents can train in unarmed and sword martial arts as well as Qi Gong classes for health and wellness. Poway Samurai Martial Arts trains in the classical unarmed and weapons training of the samurai, which includes the traditional virtues that can help strengthen all areas of a person’s life and the philosophies of service to others.

For more information or to make a donation of dry and canned food items, you can call #858-486-0059 or stop by Poway Samurai Martial Arts at 13160 Poway Road (in the Library Plaza).

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One of the programs I am currently working on is a program to reach at risk youths. Every year, especially in hard financial times, the number of kids at risk increases, as parents are required to work longer and be away from home for longer periods of time. Many of these youths can’t afford to be in after school programs or simply don’t get what they need from those programs.

There are many great things about a good traditional martial arts program. A big one is the focus on self-improvement-self-esteem-personal growth. While it seems like these should be three separate things, they really are so intertwined that our language does a disservice to us in using different words. Self improvement is not about getting better at fighting so you can win a trophy or a competition or be better than someone else. It is about being better than you were yesterday and without the right motivation, role models, and lessons, many kids begin to learn these important roles from each other. Where the problem occurs is that counting on kids to teach other kids right from wrong doesn’t work, and they often come up with and use inappropriate examples and role models.

In a good traditional martial arts program like ours, that focuses and the lessons and teachings of the samurai and ninja, is that everyone participates. Unlike a lot of sports there is no A and B squads, no “Starters” and “Backups”. Everyone learns together and excels together but each in their own way and they help each other learn as well.

I am currently reaching out through speaking engagements and other avenues to help find candidates and sponsors who are willing to provide scholarships to at risk kids to participate in my programs. It really is a simple matter of “Pay Now” and save these kids while there is time or “Pay A Lot More Later” through paying for the court filing fees, defense attorneys and in some cases jail and prison terms that can occur when these kids get older and into trouble and your tax dollars are allocated to help them. Please contact me at #858-486-0059 to schedule a speaking engagement on “At Risk Youth Programs” or, if you know of an organization ready to provide sponsorship now.

Tony Whetstine and Daisy Scout Troop 8633

Tony Whetstine, Owner and Instructor at Poway Samurai Martial Arts was pleased to donate his time recently to Daisy Scout Troop 8633, to teach them about Courage and Strength, which was their learning topic for that week.

“We covered how to be physically strong as well as have a strong character,” Says Tony Whetstine. “It’s important they learn to stand up for themselves and others by physically demonstrating and saying “no” if they feel endangered and also learning how to safely ask for help from parents and teachers, when they or others need it.”

Girl Scout Daisies meet in groups of 5 to 10 with two or more adult leaders in a nurturing, inclusive environment. They go on trips, learn about nature and science, and explore the arts and their communities. This week they were learning about Courage and Strength and the troop leader called Poway Samurai Martial Arts to ask if they could help teach those topics to the group.

“ I am always happy to volunteer my time in the community”, says Tony, “and I also encourage my students to do the same. I enjoy speaking and demonstrating safety techniques to groups of all ages, from Girl Scouts to Elementary and Middle Schools as well as Women’s Organizations and Senior Centers.” To schedule Tony to volunteer his time for your organization, please call #858-486-0059

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