Kick-A-Thon
2004 winner video on "Eyes of Christmas"
Dear Fellow Martial Artist: One day, a young man walked into my studio here in Los Angeles. Now, there is nothing unusual about this, is there? However, at a closer look, and in my conversation with Jim Harris, I learned about an eye disease called Retinitis Pigmentosa that takes the sight of young men, women, young children, adults and seniors, with relentless and devastating deterioration. Jim told me that he wanted to become a student, and truthfully, I was a little "nervous." However, as I spoke to Jim a little longer and saw his great passion and desire for sports, and his resolve to try Tae Kwon Do with his limited peripheral vision and lack of night vision, I became convinced that perhaps I might be the one to help him, in some way, to learn Martial Arts. Slowly, Jim and I began to train together, and as I realized that his loss of vision was obvious, I taught him how to defend in different ways. Gradually, he became a stronger, more self-confident, and very dedicated student. Jim had fallen into a deep depression due to not only his loss of sight but from other life problems that result from it, and was in need of much help when we first met. I can proudly say today, that though still having "ups and downs," Jim still keeps bouncing back and maintains his abilities. I'm suggesting that you and your studio do what we did here at my Tae Kwon Do studio in Los Angeles. It was simple, it was fun, and it raised money for Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) International Fighting Blindness research programs. RPI is run by Jim's mother, herself blind, and his younger brother, Richard, also has RP. The dedication of this family has impressed me so much that I had this event in my studio, and I hope that my story will enable you to join me in a Kick-A-Thon whereby each of your students raises money for RPI for each kick thrown. They return the form and their contribution to the person in charge of your studio, and the checks can be sent directly to RP International, P.O. Box 900, Woodland Hills, CA 91365. I hope that you will join in this great effort so that, one day, blindness will be reversed, and no one will ever have to deal with it again. But until that day comes, the art that we all learned to love so much will energize and teach young people to survive and enjoy an active sport that means so much to people like you and me. Jim's life was truly saved by what he learned here in my studio. Now, we just need to save the eyesight of not only Jim, but young people like him, and with this new research so close at hand, it can be done. As Jim says, "We have found the cure, now we only need to fund it." Please join us in this great effort for humankind.
Warmest regards,
Master Simon Rhee |
