Bullying Facts

Look at the latest facts concerning bullying. Scary!
According to the U.S. Department of Education:

• 8 out of 10 students report being bullied during their school days.
• 160,000 students miss school every day due to fear of being picked on or beaten up by a bully.
• Approximately 2 out of 10 students are scared throughout the school day.
• 58% have not told their parents about an online bullying incident.
• 56% of students have personally witnessed some type of bullying at school.
• 42% of students have bullied online; 1 in 4 had it happen more than once.
• 21% of students received mean or threatening e-mail or other messages.

We ALL need to take responsibility and report bullying when we see it or communicate to school administrators and teachers.

Help me take a stand against bullying! This is good self defense! Yes?

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
803-462-9425
samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

The Riches of Greensboro, AL

This is my second journey to Greensboro, AL; and like my first trip, I return a RICHER person!

How do I mean richer?

I traveled with 4 of my students and feel blessed to have shared with them such an important UBBT adventure. I believe they have a deeper understanding of what it means to serve and a stronger commitment to support the work I do with my karate school.

I traveled with my middle son Nathan, who got to see first hand, what Tom and the UBBT and The 100 stand for. I can't think of a better way to spend time with my son, to share in the experience and the many life lessons that are taught during this trip.

I am inspired by the work of HERO, led by the amazing Pam Dorr, who has brought together a whole community of people, to help bring life back into this sleepy little town. Nearly 70 homes have been built since Pam arrived and HERO has over 60 people employed. This little "sleeping giant" is waking up and doing great work in the area.

I am inspired by the men from the Cattle Ranch, who are transitioning to a life outside of prison and trying to re-establish themselves once again, outside a life of crime. They welcomed us on to their ball field and despite having a far superior team, handled themselves with grace and kindness. It was remarkable!

I am inspired by our youth, who make up the Youth Corp, Americorp Vista, Habitat for Humanity and many other groups that are working hard to bring about change for the citizens of Greensboro. Instead of seeking jobs of prestige or money, these men and women are seriously devoted to making a difference in the lives of many residents in Hale County.

I am inspired by my UBBT and 100 team mates, many of whom are doing great work in their own home towns, but take time out of their busy schedules to come to Greensboro and offer help that is selfless, genuine and real. I have never been with a group that is kinder, more compassionate and caring......I consider many of you friends and I am grateful that I have gotten to know you and appreciate your support!

Finally, I am inspired by Coach Callos, who helps us believe that we ALL are capable of doing great things within our own schools and community, and "little things add up to BIG things!"

Yes, I am richer for coming to Greensboro and working with a dedicated group of people, who are making their mark on the world. I only hope that I am equal to the task and can bring about the kind of positive change in my community during my lifetime!

"Why do we come to Greensboro, Alabama?"

"Because no one else will!" Tom Callos

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

803-462-9425

samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Why We Go To Alabama!

From Me to My Friends…

On April 7, 2011, I will join between 50 and 100 martial arts master teachers and their students in the small southern town of Greensboro, Alabama. We will put on our work boots and gloves, and begin building a home for an elderly woman in need.

I am going to Greensboro because Martin Luther King traveled through there just weeks before his death. I am going there because teacher-architect Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee co-founded the famous Rural Studio in nearby Newbern. I am going there because of the classic book Let Us Now Praise Famous Men; because James Agee wrote about the people of Hale County and because Walker Evans carried his camera down Greensboro’s Main Street.

My friends and I are going there because community activist Pam Dorr lives there and heads The Hale Empowerment and Revitalization Organization (HERO).

We are a group of karate, kung fu, aikido, taekwondo, tang soo do and jiu-jitsu teachers from New Jersey, Hawaii, California, South Carolina, Maine and many other states, as well as martial artists from Canada.

We come to Alabama to learn about a kind of martial arts mastery that project founder Tom Callos says is more relevant to teaching self-defense in today’s world that any kick, block or punch.

“Mastery, genuine mastery, is not found in the physical practice of the martial arts,” states Callos, a 6th degree black belt,

“It is found in the way the practitioner uses, in the world, what he or she practices on the mat. To be a Master is to transcend the boundaries and borders of your subject and weave your work into the fabric of your community. This is what Mockbee did, what we experience when we read Agee, when we see the faces and places Evans captured in his photography, and what we hear when we listen to Reverend King today, 43 years after his death. These black belts are here to practice a kind of martial arts that transcends the dojo.”

For the last 7 years, Callos and his team, participants in The Ultimate Black Belt Test, have raised the funds for building materials, then provided the labor to build a number of projects in Greensboro.

Two years ago I traveled to Greensboro along with some students from Samurai Karate studio, Kristie Davenport and the Schwarz family, and we helped restore a Rosenwald School, which was designated an historic landmark. In addition, we built a house for a blind man whose trailer was crumbling apart, we helped finish building a brand new animal shelter for Hale County, we participated in martial arts demonstrations in the local schools and we helped establish a new store to help fund the HERO project year round. In between our volunteer efforts, we presented or attended workshops on anger managment, Diabetes awareness and self defense against assault.

Rosenwald School House

“People always ask me what does architecture, photography, building houses, and Martin Luther King have to do with the martial arts,” says Callos. “I tell them, everything. As a Master Teacher my life is my dojo --and everything I do is a reflection on what I have learned and who I am as a person. This is the ultimate self-defense.”

This year, we will be building a new home for Ms. Georgia along with several demonstrations, other repairs and projects.

Like any good project, we need to fund this house build to the tune of approximately $25,000. All of the donations raised, go to the project and materials. The rest of the work is done by volunteers, so you can be sure your money is being spent very wisely.

I need your help!

Part of my UBBT test is to put my "crowdfunding" skills to good use. We have until April 7 to raise this money and if I could get just 200 friends to donate $10.00 each, we could hit our goal of $2,000 for our contribution.

Please call me at 804-462-9425 if you would like to donate, or drop by my school. Checks can be made out to HERO and mailed to me at 2000 Clemson Road, Suite #9, Columbia, SC 29229.

Thank you for your support!

Your friend,

Sensei Chris Feldt

Samurai Karate Studio

803-463-9425

samuraikarate@bellsouth.net

Sensei Chris Feldt
Samurai Karate Studio
Columbia, SC 29229
803-462-9425