GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Tae Kwon Do Center’s annual “break-athon” fundraiser is still alive and kicking, entering its 20th year of helping people stay toasty in the frigid winter months.
The annual fundraiser consists of taekwondo students breaking boards into smaller pieces that are sold for heating, with proceeds benefiting Warm the Children, the charity overseen by the Greenfield Recorder to help provide warm clothing for families in need across Franklin County and the North Quabbin region. People are welcome to stop by 102 Federal St. on Saturday to drop off a tax-deductible donation and watch the martial arts action starting at 9 a.m. Checks, made out to “Warm the Children,” can also be mailed to the dojo or people can donate at bit.ly/3UJPbT5.
“We got thinking about how we’re part of the community and usually in demonstrations and things like that, we break (boards) just to demonstrate technique and what you’re capable of doing,” explained owner and instructor David Johnson, who started the break-athon in 2002. “And I was hearing more about Warm the Children and suddenly it just made sense. We could take something that we do as part of our training and we could do it to contribute to the community. And that’s about all it took. I talked to my staff, I talked to students, and they went with it right away.”
Johnson said last year’s break-athon generated $7,501.50 to bring the cumulative fundraising total to $103,356.02. Donations can be made as single, flat-rate donations or by pledging a small amount per broken board.
This will be the first break-athon for 10-year-old Conner Sheldon, of Deerfield, who started taking taekwondo lessons about a year ago.
“I know that we’re raising money for kids like me,” he said. “I like (the idea) because … every day you don’t get the chance to do this type of thing. So I like taking this chance to help people in need. … It’s just going to feel really good to do that.”
Johnson said he received planks of wood donated by Cowls Building Supply in Amherst, The J Team in South Deerfield, Lamore Lumber Post & Beam in Deerfield, and Hamshaw Lumber in Greenfield. He and others cut up the planks into 1,550 breakable boards. The scraps are sold for $5 each.
This is the second break-athon for 8-year-old twins Luke and Sam Edson, and their older brother, James Edson, 12, of Turners Falls.
“It’s always nice to help kids and it’s always fun to break boards,” James said. “It’s a good stress reliever, actually. It’s also nice just to help children.”
“It’s fun when we break boards because then we put them in a giant pile in the middle (of the room),” Luke added.
Weldon Gregory, 59, enrolled at the Greenfield Tae Kwon Do Center about 3½ years ago after taking martial arts lessons as a youngster. He believes this is his fourth break-athon and he considers them a way of giving back.
“I’ve loved them. I love to participate. I love (Warm the Children), too. It helped me decades ago, when I had a child,” the Greenfield resident said. “He’s 25 now.”
Gregory said the break-athons are fun community events.
“It shows off your skills without showing off,” he said. “We don’t break boards on a regular basis.”
The annual break-athon is new for 8-year-old Greenfield resident Charlotte Cooley, who has had nine classes in a little more than a month, but she is no stranger to charitable endeavors.
“I really like raising money for charities and animal shelters,” she said. “I like to do (beverage) stands in front of my house … and I’m probably going to do a hot cocoa stand and I send it all to animal shelters. I send it to Dakin.
“I do like breaking boards,” she added. “I just like raising money for charities and animal shelters.”
To learn more about the center, visit grnfldtkd.com or facebook.com/GreenfieldTKD.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.