MA Schools and Katrina - Those in Need and Those Who Can Help

[Shorin Ryuu]

Are you a martial arts school damaged by Hurricane Katrina or a school that wants to help those that were? If you fall in either of these categories, please email me with the subject "Martial Arts Hurricane Katrina". Please send me your school's name, style (if applicable), location, contact info, and if you need help or are willing to offer it. You have to be willing to have this information made public. Please see below for details. This is not some advertising scheme, school promotion scheme, or anything scheme. It is merely my attempt to help in the way I can: provide a place to share information.

Brief Summary: This site is a compilation of martial arts schools that were affected by Hurricane Katrina and martial arts schools wanting to help. The listing of contact information in a convenient place allows those schools to individually contact one another. This site is not meant to specifically give relief, only to facilitate it by providing an essential ingredient in all interactions: information. Short term aid in the form of bare necessities is needed, but long-term aid tends to focus on city infrastructure rather than that which makes us human: communities. Therefore it is up to community institutions such as martial arts schools to help the long-term recovery of their counterparts in affected areas.

I got this idea from the Hugh Hewitt radio show and his article here about rebuidling communities. He states that right now, the priority is the bare essentials, but there is a difference when it comes to long-term help. I will quote him here:

"Before long, however, the extreme needs will be met and the long-term rebuilding will get underway. At that point it will become much less obvious how ordinary Americans can help...With this disaster, America confronts for the first time the daunting reconstruction of complex social and political organizations.
It is a task which may be beyond the ability of the local, state, and federal governments to manage. How, for example, does a government--at any level--presume to assist a shattered church in the reconstruction of its walls and its Sunday School programs, an Alcoholics Anonymous chapter in the care of its members, a community theater in the reconstruction of its playhouse, or scores and scores of high school athletes in the completion of their senior year schedules so that colleges and universities can offer talented kids a chance at a free education?"



With this in mind, and the example of Openings for Students Affected by Katrina, I thought about what is is I love to do. The answer to that is martial arts. For me, that is a community I care deeply about. My way of helping is thus to help martial arts schools help each other. If I can get just one school to sponsor another until it regains its feet, or even just to donate some cash, equipment, time...anything...then I will be satisfied. I am not sponsored by anyone; I am doing this on my own.

Also, it can represent a way for displaced martial artists to find new communities to move into should they decide not to return to their home area. I will not have a section for those willing to welcome new students. Every school wants to and there is an aspect of advertising there that I do not want to get involved with. I am debating perhaps adding a displaced students and instructors section, but I am unsure yet.


Right now, the site setup is really basic. I hope to make it a little more advanced. Maybe I'll make it somewhat of a spreadsheet format, but am leaning toward HTML tables. Not that I'm really good at doing stuff like that yet.


Site Name: Martial Arts Schools Affected by Hurricane Katrina
Link: http://martialartshurricanekatrina.blogspot.com/


Note: I was unsure whether I should put this in General Talk or General Martial Arts as it deals with both issues. I apologize if I was in error. Thank you for reading.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

The MA community has an incredible amount of compassion and ability. Every bit helps.

See also: http://martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=26592.

Good luck.

 

[Shorin Ryuu]

Thank you for the encouragement and allowing this thread to be stickied. I have been outright banned from at least one forum...

At any rate, for more immediate and direct relief, I am also participating in the Hurricane Katrina Blogs for Relief Fundraiser. For details see my personal blog at http://www.xanga.com/home.aspx?user=ShorinRyuu.

If any one has any suggestions as to ways I can better the current Martial Arts Schools Affected By Hurricane Katrina site (http://martialartshurricanekatrina.blogspot.com/), please let me know either here, on the site, or via email. At the time of this posting it is literally less than a day old, so I am still trying to formulate things.

Again, thank you.

 

[Shorin Ryuu]

Please, please run this by your instructors. If you feel a bit leery, please give me their contact information and I will ask them myself. Thank you.



For more information:

Brief Summary: This site is a compilation of martial arts schools that were affected by Hurricane Katrina and martial arts schools wanting to help. The listing of contact information in a convenient place allows those schools to individually contact one another. This site is not meant to specifically give relief, only to facilitate it by providing an essential ingredient in all interactions: information. Short term aid in the form of bare necessities is needed, but long-term aid tends to focus on city infrastructure rather than that which makes us human: communities. Therefore it is up to community institutions such as martial arts schools, chess clubs, garden clubs, drama clubs, etc. to help the long-term recovery of their counterparts in affected areas.

Rules and Recommendations

1. This is meant solely for aiding the long-term rebuilding of community as opposed to just re-erecting buildings. More specifically, the long-term rebuilding of martial arts communities in areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina through the sharing of information. In other words, I want to match those who are in need with those who want to help. This is a rule.

2. If you are a martial arts school in need, please send me the head instructor's name, style (or category, if applicable), and location. This information is needed to ensure validation. For school contact info, please put a phone number, email, website, or all the above that apply. For your school address, please put your school's street address, city, and state. The school's information will be made public. I understand the pain this may bring, even if your school is completely destroyed. However, I do not want this to turn into a scam, and old addresses are useful for validation. Contact information is a necessity, as the purpose of this site is to facilitate communication between those in need and those willing to help. Style is listed as an item of information because as this is meant to facilitate peer-to-peer institution relationships, perhaps some schools would be even more willing to help if a sister style or similar style is in need. This is a rule.

If you are in this category, you can send me the information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Martial Arts Schools Needing Help.

3. If you are a martial arts school willing to help those in need, please send me the head instructor's name, his or her contact info, your school's name, style (or category, if applicable), and location. This information is needed to ensure validation. For school contact info, please put a phone number, email, website, or all the above that apply. For your school address, please put your school's street address, city, and state. The school's information will be made public. Contact information is a necessity, as the purpose of this site is to facilitate communication between those in need and those willing to help. Style is listed as an item of information because as this is meant to facilitate peer-to-peer institution relationships, perhaps some schools would be even more willing to help if a sister style or similar style is in need. This is a rule.

If you are in this category, you can send me the information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Martial Arts Schools Offering Help.
There is a separate thread for those schools offering temporary lodgings for displaced martial artists and their families, either in their schools or in their homes. If you are in this category, you can send me your information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Schools Offering Temporary Lodging for Martial Artists and Families.

There is a separate thread for those schools offering a temporary "instruction refuge" for displaced martial artists. If you are in this category, you can send me your information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Temporary Instruction Refuge for Displaced Martial Artists.

4. Even if you are engaging in efforts already to help rebuilding or restoring a fellow martial arts community, you are encouraged to submit your information to this site. For example, if you are a member of an organization and you are already helping a sister school out, you are encouraged to send me your information. Because it takes a lot to bring a school back, the workload is easier if spread out over multiple schools. There is a saying which goes "evil begets evil." But I believe "good begets good" and the more people see that help is being given, the more generous they themselves will become. This is a recommendation.

If you are in this category, you can send me your information via email or post a comment in this thread: List - Paired Martial Arts Schools.
5. Suggestions on what to do to help.

The long-term rebuilding of anything at all, like the name implies, takes a long time. Those who run a martial arts school know it is difficult enough to keep running even in the best of times. Therefore there is a wide degree in what it is that constitutes "rebuilding" and the goal here is to get people back on their feet, not to carry them forever. Anything that does happen is coordinated through the schools themselves, but here are just some things that come to mind:

Spare equipment: Uniforms, pads, bags, mats, weapons, martial arts books...if it is needed to run a school, some people will need it. Old equipment is okay, just make sure it is useable.

Fundraisers: Money always helps. I will not be handling any of it, but it helps.
Time: Those who are extremely generous can even aid the rebuilding or restoration of sister schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina. They can also hold seminars or guest classes to respark interest in an area which is starting to get back on its feet and has time to engage in other activities.
You get the picture. These, of course, are all recommendations.

6. If you have suggestions for me or any information you think may be useful, I am willing to hear them. You can send me an email or post a comment in this thread: Open Thread for Suggestions, Feedback, Information.

7. If you want to discuss martial arts, politics, religion, anything-not-related-to-martial-arts-schools-affected-by-Hurricane-Katrina, then please kindly use another venue. That is not the purpose of this site. (See rule #1) This is a rule.

8. Common courtesy. Please be respectful to everyone. Please do not use vulgar or obscene language or disparage others. If you wish to do so, do it somewhere else. This is a rule.

9. I am NOT sponsored by anyone, nor do my views or actions necessarily represent those of the Air Force, the government, my karate instructor, my karate organization, the next-door-neighbor's dog or any one at all except for me.

10. I am not responsible for the actual conduct of aid or interaction that takes place because of this site. Any harm, damage, legal trouble, etc. that results from users of this site is sadly the responsibility of those involved. Moreover, I wouldn't even have the ability to resolve anything which did occur. Consequently, people participate at their own discretion.

11. I don't want to end on that negative note. I strongly believe that the rebuilding of communities outside of the bare essentials for life is essential in creating a strong society and civilization. I feel martial arts as a whole tends to foster discipline, respect, and close relationships that aid this ideal. It is my sincere hope that this site betters the re-establishment of martial arts communities disrupted by Hurricane Katrina. When a good act is done, the benefit is given not only to the recipient, but to the performer of the act. Let us go about bringing as much benefit to everyone as we can in an endeavor we all love: martial arts.

 

[Shorin Ryuu]

Dianna from http://martialarts.about.com/ informed me of a new site called Martial Hearts at http://www.martialhearts.info/. It has pretty much the same goals as my blogsite, but the page is roughly 10, 358.349 times more professional. I was thinking about hiring or asking someone to make me up a page, but if one is already made...

At any rate, I highly encourage you all to check it out. I have contacted them and we have decided to merge. I think it would be best so as not to duplicate effort and maximize the aid we can send to the martial arts community.My site will shift to be more of a news digest and publicity generator for the project effort. Her site has a much better user interface.

 

[Jonathan Randall]

Dianna from http://martialarts.about.com/ informed me of a new site called Martial Hearts at http://www.martialhearts.info/. It has pretty much the same goals as my blogsite, but the page is roughly 10, 358.349 times more professional. I was thinking about hiring or asking someone to make me up a page, but if one is already made...

At any rate, I highly encourage you all to check it out. I have contacted them and we have decided to merge. I think it would be best so as not to duplicate effort and maximize the aid we can send to the martial arts community.My site will shift to be more of a news digest and publicity generator for the project effort. Her site has a much better user interface.

Good work, Shorin Ryuu. At times like these we find out who is a spectator and who is willing to do something. I donate through the Coast Guard (I'm a member) and the American Red Cross, but I appreciate your efforts.

 

[Chrisoro]

Any reason for why this thread is still stickyed almost ten years later?

 

[Tez3]

We could do a new one for the martial arts schools in Nepal once they have sorted out the main things. TKD is very popular there.

 

[skribs]

Any reason for why this thread is still stickyed almost ten years later?

15 years and counting...