GREENFIELD — The Greenfield Tae Kwon Do Center’s scrap wood pile in the middle of the room towered over many of the young students’ heads as Saturday’s “break-athon” proceeded.
The 20th annual fundraiser consisted of taekwondo students breaking boards into smaller pieces that are then sold for heating, with proceeds benefiting Warm the Children, the Greenfield Recorder’s charity that helps provide warm clothing for families in need across Franklin County and the North Quabbin region. In addition to selling the scraps of wood, donations can be made as single, flat-rate donations or by pledging a small amount per broken board.
This year’s event raised an estimated $3,700 on Saturday, with 1,550 boards being broken. When the event concluded, all broken pieces were placed into large bags that will continue to be sold for kindling at a price of $5 per bag.
More than 100 of those boards were broken by 8-year-old Xavier Pouliot.
“If you do it wrong, it can hurt,” the Turners Falls resident explained. But using good board-breaking technique, Xavier wasn’t phased.
The event started in 2002 when Greenfield Tae Kwon Do Center owner and instructor David Johnson realized supporting Warm the Children could be a great organizational fit for his studio.
“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,” Johnson recounted last week. “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.”
Now, the fundraiser has been going strong for 20 years, raising a cumulative total of $103,356.02 by the time the 2021 event wrapped up.
James Edson, 12, of Turners Falls, learned how to break boards quickly, perfecting multiple techniques. He said he loves the break-athon because “it’s exercise and also helping kids who need it.”
Charlotte Cooley, 8, of Greenfield, agreed that “the importance of giving to Warm the Children is to help make children happy.” Having prepared for weeks, Charlotte broke more than 100 boards at Saturday’s break-athon using her “punching, kicking and stomping” technique.
“It feels good and happy to donate to charity,” Xavier added. “We are helping kids who don’t have clothes or food be cheerful.”
Cowls Building Supply in Amherst, The J Team in South Deerfield, Lamore Lumber Post & Beam in Deerfield, and Hamshaw Lumber in Greenfield all donated lumber for the event. Instructors spent the day before the break-athon preparing the wood to be the proper length for breaking.
“It’s the prospect of kids helping kids,” Johnson said of why the fundraiser is so beloved. “What can get better than that?”
Bella Levavi can be reached at blevavi@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.